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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25413634">albatross</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/thehotzone/pseuds/thehotzone'>thehotzone</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>albatross [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Avatar: The Last Airbender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>A part of the, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Cultural Differences, Episode: s03e12 The Western Air Temple, Episode: s03e13 The Firebending Masters, Episode: s03e14-15 The Boiling Rock, Gen, Inuit Mythology &amp; Folklore, Japanese Mythology &amp; Folklore, Languages &amp; Linguistics, No beta we die like mne, Suicidal Idealization (Cultural), Worldbuilding, ZECU, Zuko Embroiders Cinematic Universe (ZECU), give sokka more character depth 2020, when i tell you the boiling rock is about to hit different..., zuko is regretting his life decisions</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 04:14:52</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>23,213</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25413634</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/thehotzone/pseuds/thehotzone</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>["Fine." Zuko sank into a seiza and offered up his hands, wrists pressed together, palms facing the sky. "If you won't accept me as a friend, then maybe you'll take me as a prisoner.” </p><p>His offer was met with silence. </p><p>The Water Tribe boy was the first to move. He crossed his arms, his brow furrowed in concentration. “We can’t just let him roam around. He knows where our camp is. It’s better for us—and literally everyone else—if he’s locked up somewhere.”</p><p>“And if he tries something?” demanded his sister.</p><p>The Water Tribe boy shrugged. “Practice for Aang.”]</p><p>///</p><p>In which Zuko is taken prisoner by the Gaang at the Western Air Temple. This changes things.</p><p>!!!!! UNDERGOING EDITING TO REMOVE A FEW THINGS !!!!</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hakoda &amp; Zuko (Avatar), Sokka &amp; Zuko (Avatar), The Gaang &amp; Zuko (Avatar), Toph Beifong &amp; Zuko</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>albatross [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1802722</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>294</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>1052</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>A:tla</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. bad blood</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Just as a heads up, there are canon moments from the episode(s) sprinkled throughout here, especially in this first chapter. These moments have been altered slightly because this is a different medium; they won't be word for word.</p><p>my brain: hehe wouldn't it be funny if zuko was taken prisoner by the gaang<br/>my brain: 100+ pages of fic</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Hello, Zuko here.”</p><p>The Avatar and his friends whipped around to face him. Their expressions ranged from shock to fury, and the waterbender gripped her flask, nostrils flared.</p><p>"Uh,” Zuko continued, resisting the urge to back away, “I saw you guys flying around down here, so I just thought I'd wait for you here. I know you must be surprised to see me.”</p><p>“Not really,” the Water Tribe boy said, knuckles white around his boomerang. “You've chased us all over the world.”</p><p>“Right." Zuko raked a hand through his hair. "Well, uh, anyway, what I wanted to tell you is that I've changed." He paused. The Avatar's friends blinked at him. "I'm good now," Zuko clarified. "I've defected from the Fire Nation, and I think I should join your group. Oh—” He turned to the Avatar, “—and I can teach firebending to you. See, I, uh—” </p><p>The waterbender—Agni, he should know their names by now—stalked forward. “You can’t possibly think that any of us would trust you.” Her voice dripped with incredulity. “I mean, just how stupid do you think we are?”</p><p>"Exactly," the Water Tribe boy echoed. "All you've ever done is hunt us down and try to capture Aang.”</p><p>“Yeah!” the earthbender chimed in. “I wasn’t here for any of that, but shame on you!”</p><p>The Avatar did not speak. He continued to stare at Zuko, his staff half-raised. </p><p>Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose. The badger-frog had not foreseen this response. “Look, I've done some good things. I mean, I could have stolen your bison in Ba Sing Se, but I set him free. That's something.”</p><p>The bison in question let out a gravelly roar. It pinned Zuko in place with black, almond-shaped eyes, then licked him from chin to forehead.</p><p>“Ugh<em> — </em>” Zuko stumbled backwards. He swiped a hand across his face, and his palm came away covered in a sheen of spit.</p><p>The earthbender tilted her head. “Appa does seem to like him. Hey, Appa, do that again."</p><p>Zuko grimaced as Appa moved forward, but the Water Tribe boy threw out an arm. “Wait,” he said, eyes narrowed. “He probably just covered himself in honey or something so that Appa would lick him. I'm not buying it.”</p><p><em> "Honey? </em> You’ve got to be <em> — </em>" Zuko drew in a measured breath. “What I meant to say is, I can understand why you wouldn't trust me. I know I've made some mistakes in the past."</p><p>“Like when you attacked my tribe?”</p><p>“Or when you stole my mother's necklace and used it to track us down and capture us?”</p><p>“Or when you guys filled me in on none of this?”</p><p>Zuko closed his eyes. He inhaled once, twice. A ribbon of smoke escaped his lips. Several breaths later, he opened his eyes and spoke. “I admit I've done some awful things.” He turned to the Avatar and bowed. “I was wrong to try to capture you, and,” he bowed to the Water Tribe siblings, “I'm sorry that I attacked the Water Tribe. And I <em> never </em>should have sent that Fire Nation assassin after you. I swear to—"</p><p>“Wait, you sent Combustion Man after us?”</p><p>Zuko blinked at the Water Tribe boy. “Well, that's not his name, but yes."</p><p>“Oh, <em> sorry, </em>I didn't mean to insult your friend.”</p><p>“He is <em>not</em> my friend!"</p><p>The earthbender ground her hand into her fist. “That guy locked me and Katara in jail and tried to blow us up! I say it’s<em> rumble time.” </em></p><p>Zuko looked to the Avatar, his voice edged with desperation. “Why aren't you saying anything? You said you thought we could be friends—you <em> knew </em> I could be good. Tell me if that has changed.”</p><p>The Avatar's eyes were wide as he met Zuko's gaze. They stared at each other for several heartbeats, and Zuko half-expected to find himself laying on a bed of leaves, his Blue Spirit mask by his side.</p><p>Then, the Avatar looked away. "There's no way we can trust you after everything you've done. We'll never let you join us.”</p><p>There was a note of finality in the Avatar’s voice, and it <em> burned. </em> </p><p>“You’re not listening,” Zuko growled. Heat flared beneath the skin of his palms, and he surged forward, sparks crackling at the back of his throat. “I understand you don't trust me, I understand you're angry, but I'm <em> not </em> asking for forgiveness! I'm trying to explain that I'm not that person anymore!”</p><p>The Water Tribe boy drew back his boomerang, but the Avatar held up a hand. </p><p>“I <em> am </em> listening to you,” the Avatar said. “And I was ready to listen back in that forest, but you weren’t. You had your chance long before Ba Sing Se. I don’t want to fight, so please leave.”</p><p>"You heard him." The waterbender flicked open her flask. “You need to get out of here. <em> Now.” </em></p><p>The Avatar raised his staff in agreement, and the earthbender dug her heels into the temple floor, palms flattened into blades. </p><p>Zuko searched their faces for a degree of leniency. He saw nothing but the anger of his past actions reflected towards him. "Fine,” he bit out. “How about this?" He sank into a seiza and offered up his hands, wrists pressed together, palms facing the sky. "If you won't accept me as a friend, then maybe you'll take me as a prisoner.” He bowed his head and waited for a response.</p><p>Silence from above.</p><p>A drop of sweat beaded at the tip of his nose. </p><p>Then, a strangled growl cut through the air. A stream of water slashed across his hands, and Zuko stumbled backwards, clutching his stinging palms to his chest.</p><p>"How <em> dare </em> you try the same trick twice." The waterbender stood over him. Her eyes were shards of sea glass, and another coil of water hung in the air, a serpent poised to strike. "Get out of here, and don’t come back. If we ever see you again—if <em> I </em>ever see you again—” She drew in a breath, “—well, I'd better not see you again."</p><p>"Hold on." The Water Tribe boy crossed his arms, his brow furrowed in concentration. “Just—bear with me. I don't want him here, trust me, but we can’t just let him roam around. He knows where our camp is. It’s better for us—and literally everyone else—if he’s locked up somewhere.”</p><p>“And if he tries something?”</p><p>The Water Tribe boy shrugged. “Practice for Aang.”</p><p>"Fine." The waterbender withdrew her attack. “Toph!”</p><p>The earthbender appeared at her elbow. “You don’t have to yell. I’m blind, not deaf.”</p><p>“Just—" The waterbender clenched her jaw. "Make sure he can’t bend. Don't underestimate him. He has this leg thing he does—"</p><p>“I wish I knew how to do that,” the Avatar said mournfully.</p><p>“Well,” Zuko began, but a look from the waterbender silenced him.</p><p>The earthbender cracked her knuckles. “The name’s Toph,” she announced, widening her stance. “Get comfortable, Sparky.” She struck the earth with her left heel and threw out her arms.</p><p>Rock thundered from the ground, binding Zuko into a permanent seiza. At her direction, Zuko placed his wrists onto the temple floor, and sun-warmed stone rose to anchor them in place.</p><p>Toph circled him a few times, then dipped her chin in satisfaction. "There's no way he can bend like this."</p><p>The Water Tribe boy stowed his boomerang away. "Good enough for me.” He clapped a hand onto Toph’s shoulder. “He probably would’ve burned through all our rope. Who knew an earthbender would be so handy?”</p><p>“The Avatar, probably."</p><p>The waterbender eyed Zuko's bonds. She waved her hand a few times, and a clear, quivering globe of water rose from her flask. With a flick of her wrist, she broke the globe over Zuko's head, drenching him in a sheet of ice-cold water. Bound as he was, Zuko could do nothing but glare.</p><p><em> "Now </em>it's good enough for me.” With that, the waterbender turned on her heel and headed towards camp. The Avatar and the rest of his friends followed.</p><p>Zuko watched them leave, squinting through dripping bangs. Uncle’s words rose unbidden to his mind.<em> You never think things through, Prince Zuko. </em></p><p> </p><p>
  <b>...</b>
</p><p> </p><p>On the day of the invasion, Dad had ducked into Sokka's tent for a last-minute talk.<em> A warrior’s heart-to-heart, </em>he had said, tucking his helmet away, revealing a face lined with age and suet. With his hand heavy on Sokka’s shoulder, he offered a final piece of advice:</p><p>
  <em> When you sail on a ship of wood, it's not wise to take Fire Nation prisoners. Sanna’s Mercy has no place here. Do you understand? </em>
</p><p><em> Dad, come on, </em> Sokka had scoffed, jamming his wolf helmet onto his head. Teeth, white and jagged, had lined his vision. <em> Maybe I don’t have my kakiniit, but I’m not a kid anymore. </em></p><p>Before Dad could respond, a long, sonorous note had echoed throughout the encampment. He and Dad had joined their tribe, indistinguishable among a sea of painted faces and grey-blue pelts. As they say in the south: a single drop of water cannot extinguish a qulliq, sail a ship, or put a seal to rest.</p><p>That had been one sunrise ago.</p><p>Today, Dad was gone, and Zuko was several spear-lengths away from camp. His hands and wrists were anchored to the temple floor, bowing his back forward in a deep curve. From across the pagoda, Sokka could make out the line of his shoulders, a sinew bowstring held taut.</p><p>Sokka rolled his own shoulders and looked away. Aang was staring at the temple floor, tracing swirls in the grit with his staff. A stream of water wound through Katara's hands, and Toph leaned against the fountain, picking at her nails and flicking the pieces away.</p><p>They didn't have the time for this.</p><p>Sokka cleared his throat. "Guys, I’m calling a team meeting. We need to talk about Prince Jerkface over there.”</p><p>Aang fumbled with his staff at the sound of Sokka’s voice. “Oh, um, I was actually thinking? About that. What are we going to do?"</p><p>“You’re gonna have to be more specific, buddy.”</p><p>“I mean, like. I don’t know, he just looks really uncomfortable? We can’t keep him here, can we?”</p><p>“I can,” Toph said.</p><p>Katara let out a huff. “You want to know what was really uncomfortable? Being chased all over the world.” She waved her hands, and a beaded trickle of water responded to her movements. Momo lept into the air, snapping at the stream. “Besides, he said he wants to be here. He’s clearly trying to fool us again, but I bet he didn’t expect us to take him up on his offer.”</p><p>“It makes sense if you think about it,” Sokka added. “The invasion failed, and,” he grimaced, "a lot of our people got captured. They think Aang’s an easy target. Who has the most experience with Avatar hunting? Zuko. It’s strategy.”</p><p>Aang hugged his staff to his chest. "Strategy. Right."</p><p>"Don’t worry, Aang. If he makes one wrong move, I’ll take him out.” Katara sliced her palm through the air, and the water plummeted to the temple floor. Momo scrambled away with a screech.</p><p>“Actually,” Toph piped up, "that won’t be necessary. I believe him."</p><p>Everyone stared at her with varying expressions of shock.</p><p>“I’m guessing from the silence that you’re all staring at me with varying expressions of shock.”</p><p>Sokka closed his mouth. “Um, no, we weren’t. What do you mean, that won’t be necessary?”</p><p>“It <em> means </em> that he’s not lying.” Toph picked a speck of dirt from between her toes and threw it over her shoulder. “You guys do remember that I’m an earthbending master, right? Zuko's heartbeat was pretty steady. A little fast, but I'm pretty intimidating. Unlike you chuckleheads."</p><p>Sokka stared at her. "I can't decide which part of your statement I disagree with the most."</p><p>Toph grinned at him with all her teeth. "And what are you going to do about it?"</p><p>“Toph,” Aang said loudly, “does that mean Zuko was telling the truth about everything he said?” His voice shrank. “Even the stuff about wanting to teach me firebending?”</p><p>“That’s what the earth told me.”</p><p>Katara scoffed. “Oh, please. He’s a pretty good liar. This is just like Ba Sing Se. He’s trying to make himself seem vulnerable. He’ll probably start talking about his mother the next time one of us comes close to him.”</p><p>Aang rubbed the back of his neck. “Sorry, Toph, but I’m with Katara on this one. I’m not trying to doubt your skills, but even if he is telling the truth, he did a lot of bad stuff. He can’t expect us—expect me—to just... forget all of it.”</p><p>"Yeah," Toph snarked, "I'll never forget everything he did."</p><p>"You weren’t even there for half of it!” Katara snapped.</p><p>“Then tell me about it! You guys make references to <em> ponytail jerkface </em>all the time, and I never get them. What exactly happened? What does he even look like?”</p><p>“Well,” Sokka said, “he no longer has a ponytail.”</p><p>“Wow. It’s like I can see him.”</p><p>“Shut up, I wasn’t done. So, imagine a borecupine—"</p><p>
  <em> "Imagine?" </em>
</p><p>"He’s a horrible person,” Katara cut in. “He’s possessed with some sort of sick loyalty to his dad—who, once again, is the<em> Fire Lord. </em> You can’t trust anything he says.”</p><p>Toph crossed her arms. “I can, though. It sounds like you’re all just letting your hurt feelings keep you from thinking clearly.”</p><p>“You weren't there when he had us attacked by pirates!”</p><p>“Or when he burned down Kyoshi Island!”</p><p>“Or when he tried to capture <em> me </em>at the Fire Temple!”</p><p>Toph huffed. “I’m not saying let’s all play the liuqin and sing <em> The Way to Ba Sing Se, </em> but considering his messed-up family, he could have turned out a lot worse."</p><p>“Give him time,” Katara said darkly. “He’ll get there.”</p><p>"In the meantime, Aang <em> still </em>needs a firebending teacher."</p><p>Aang’s eyes darted from Toph to Katara. He crossed his arms and lifted his chin. “I'm not having Zuko as my teacher, and that's final."</p><p>Sokka slung an arm across Aang's shoulders. “You’re darn right you’re not, buddy.”</p><p>“Well, I guess that settles that.” Katara flipped her hair over her shoulder and reached for her rucksack. “Now, there are some leftover noodles from Ba Sing Se. With some—”</p><p>Toph let out a growl. She pulled herself to her feet, and Sokka swore the ground trembled beneath him. “I’m going to go talk to him.”</p><p>“Who, Zuko?”</p><p>“No,” Toph snicked over her shoulder, “the other Fire Nation prisoner I bound to the earth.”</p><p>Sokka watched her stomp away. “I wish people would stop undermining my position as the sarcasm guy,” he muttered, grabbing his boomerang. "Are you guys coming or not?"</p><p>"Nope," Aang said. "I live here now."</p><p>Katara rose. "No, you don't."</p><p>"No, I don't," Aang agreed, and they followed after Toph.</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>...</b>
</p><p> </p><p>The Avatar and his friends were strategizing. Zuko knew this because he, too, tended to raise his voice when strategizing, and wave his arms, and hurl insults, and... On second thought, they seemed to be arguing. Zuko angled his good ear towards the group, and gusts of wind swept across the pagoda, bringing with it snatches of conversation. What he managed to discern was unsettling: his surrender hadn't been enough.</p><p>What more did the Avatar need? What more could Zuko give? Did he want Zuko to denounce Father until his inner flame sputtered, starved of air? Zuko was undeserving of the Avatar's trust, this he knew, but soldiers did not need to trust in one another to win a war: they simply needed to trust in a common cause, and fight on threat of final breath to succeed.</p><p>Zuko dropped his chin to his chest. What would Azula do? What would Uncle do?</p><p>Azula would never allow herself to be captured in the first place. Surrender was the paragon of dishonor, and only one's own hand, guided by Agni, could fully assuage such a loss. Uncle, on the other hand, would ask for tea and a game of Pai Sho.</p><p><em> Hello, Avatar. Would you like to play Pai Sho? If I win, I teach you firebending. If you win, I'll return my inner flame to Agni, and you'll never have to see me again</em>.</p><p>It sounded stupid even to him, and his inner flame rose to meet his frustration. Zuko clamped his jaw shut, his back molars grinding together. He took in several breaths through his nose and exhaled through his teeth. Steam escaped his lips in a thin stream, but no flames followed. He relaxed, only to repeat the cycle again when he overheard the word <em> borecupine.  </em></p><p>It was a relief when, several degrees later, the earthbender approached, her friends in tow. “Hey, eavesdropper,'" she greeted, looking somewhere over his left shoulder.</p><p>Zuko's scowled. "What do you want." He drew back as the others arrived, forming a semi-circle in front of him. "I mean, um. What?”</p><p>The Water Tribe boy placed an elbow on Toph’s head, which she knocked off with a growl. “Toph here can tell when people are lying. Vibrations through the earth and whatnot. So." He pulled out his Agni-damned boomerang and jabbed it into Zuko's face. "Tell us your story again. And don’t bother lying.”</p><p>The boomerang hovered in front of his nose. Zuko resisted the urge to set it on fire. “I want to teach the Ava—”</p><p>"No," the waterbender cut in. "He might’ve rehearsed his story. Tell us something else.”</p><p>His ally the badger-frog crossed his mind, and without thinking, Zuko said, “I did rehearse what I wanted to say.”</p><p>The waterbender’s face darkened.<em> “I knew it. </em> This is all an act.”</p><p>“Except no,” Toph said, “it’s not.” She fanned her toes across the temple floor. “He’s telling the truth.”</p><p>“Except, no, not really. You guys are going about this all wrong.” The Water Tribe boy pushed past his sister. Once again, he leveled his boomerang at Zuko’s face. “Tell us a blatant lie. We need a baseline.”</p><p>Zuko stared cross-eyed at the boomerang. “I like your boomerang.”</p><p>“I said a<em> lie, </em> sootmaker.”</p><p>“No,” Toph snickered, “that was a lie. Maybe he should join so I can talk to someone with a sense of humor."</p><p>"Tui and La." The waterbender stepped forward. "Tell us a real lie, Zuko." Then, under her breath: "Not that you haven't been doing so already."</p><p>Zuko bit back a retort. “Um, I’m the Avatar?” At Toph’s prompting, he continued. “I hate fire flakes. I miss the <em> Wani. </em> Uh, I <em> don’t </em> want to join your group and defeat Father, and I’m <em> not </em>sorry about everything I did to you.”</p><p>“All lies,” Toph announced. She paused. “Damn, you’re really bad at lying. Do you want some tips? Let’s talk heartbeat.”</p><p>The Water Tribe boy sputtered. <em> "Toph! </em> What are you, in cahoots with him?" </p><p>"Impossible. I've never seen this man before in my life."</p><p>“Um.” Zuko cleared his throat. “I’m not telling you how to do your jobs or anything, but is this supposed to be an interrogation? Because, if so, it’s really not…” He trailed off as the Water Tribe siblings glared at him. “Nevermind.”</p><p>“Well.” The Water Tribe boy pulled back and crossed his arms. “I guess we have our baseline, but let me be level with you here, buddy.” He shook his head. “Not looking good.”</p><p><em> “What’s </em>not looking good?” Toph demanded.</p><p>“I’m honestly not sure,” the Avatar replied. He was several footsteps behind the group and appeared to be edging away.</p><p>“Do you have questions?” Zuko hedged. “That you would like to ask?”</p><p>“Truth.”</p><p>The waterbender frowned at Toph. “What are you saying truth to? He didn’t state anything.”</p><p>“I was reading in between the lines. What he <em> actually </em>said was: I’m tired of everyone, so hurry up. And that’s the truth. I’m a master of subtlety.” Toph then stamped her foot and roared, “Get back here, Aang! Stop being a pussy!”</p><p>The Avatar froze. He turned around, clutching his staff. “I guess, I have a question? Do you really want to join us? And teach me firebending? How do we know you’re not, you know, trying to capture me again? Because, remember that one time with the Pohuai Stronghold? And the Blue Spirit? And—”</p><p><em> “Yes, </em>because I was there.” Zuko released a measured breath. “I mean, yes. I remember all of that. I really do want to join your group. I’m not asking you to trust me, but I am asking you to take a chance.”</p><p>“That was so sincere it actually hurt,” Toph said. “Are you guys seeing this? I mean, I’m not, but are <em> you?”  </em></p><p>The Water Tribe boy squinted at Toph. "How do we know Toph is telling the truth?"</p><p>“Of course I’m telling the truth.” Toph paused. “Truth.”</p><p>"Then who ate the last of the mangoes?"</p><p>"Well, I never said my skills were infallible..."</p><p>The Water Tribe boy made some sort of indignant, sputtering sound, and the two erupted into an argument. The Avatar looked increasingly uncomfortable at the mounting tension and re-doubled his efforts to edge away from the group. Zuko shifted in place. Each shout from above was a razor-edged <em> sai </em> against his temples, and the beginnings of a headache pulsed at the back of his skull. Finally, he heard a sharp <em> pop </em>as the waterbender opened her flask.</p><p>"Everyone, shut up! And Aang, get back here. This is clearly a waste of time. Why don't we just drown him?"</p><p>"Um," the Avatar said, "what if we did not? Do that. We shouldn’t do that.”</p><p>"I agree that this is a waste of time, but not with the drowning thing, unless absolutely necessary. A true warrior needs to interrogate him." The Water Tribe boy paused. "That’s me, by the way.” With a scowl, he jabbed his boomerang into Zuko’s face. “No more games. Tell us <em> why </em> you suddenly dropped your Avatar-hunting urges and decided to join the good guys!"</p><p>It was the boomerang that did it.</p><p>Zuko snarled in a breath, ballooned his cheeks, and unleashed a flickering, red-orange blast of flame into the air. It caught the boomerang head-on, and the Water Tribe boy staggered backwards with a choked cry.</p><p>The satisfaction lasted a heartbeat. Then, a wave of water roared over his head. It left him gasping for breath, eyes stinging, tunic plastered to his chest. Regret, heavy and cold, curled within his stomach as the waterbender loomed over him.</p><p>"Try that again, and I'll wash you off this temple. Apologize." Behind her, another wave rose within the fountain. Water sloshed over the sides, darkening the temple floor.</p><p>"I wonder what’s for dinner,” the Avatar said loudly. “Is anyone else wondering what's for dinner? Because I am.”</p><p>The waterbender ignored him. "Well? I'm waiting."</p><p>"I," Zuko said, then sighed. He looked at the Water Tribe boy. "I shouldn’t have done that. I apologize for lighting your boomerang on fire."</p><p>The Water Tribe boy cradled his boomerang. It appeared to be intact, but scorch marks blackened one end. "Apology <em> not </em> accepted."</p><p>Zuko shifted his gaze to the Avatar. "I'm also sorry for everything. I know how it looks, I <em> know </em> , but I'm telling the truth. I don’t know what I can tell you to make you believe me, but I am not your enemy anymore. Let me prove it to you. I will, I <em> swear </em> on Agni's eternal flame.”</p><p>Silence followed his oath. Far off, a flock of humming-toads flitted from pagoda to pagoda. Their calls echoed throughout the temple—warbling, high-pitched croaks.</p><p>"Well," Toph said at last, "he just swore on Agni's eternal flame. Don't leave him hanging."</p><p>The Water Tribe boy sheathed his boomerang. “Whatever. It doesn’t matter if he swears on Agni’s flames or Sanna’s fingers. We can’t trust him. Thanks, Toph, but I’m out of here.”</p><p>"Same here." The waterbender capped her flask. "I'm going to start on dinner. Come on, Aang." She stalked away. The Avatar and her brother followed, the latter shooting one last glare at Zuko.</p><p>This left Toph, who turned to Zuko once the others were gone. “I ate the last of the mangoes," she said conversationally. "Everyone thinks it was Aang, including Aang himself.” A smile crept across her face. “No one expects the blind girl.”</p><p>“Why are you telling me this.”</p><p>“Because no one will believe you. But,” Her toes spread across the temple floor, and she winked somewhere over his left shoulder, “I do.” Then, she left for the Avatar's camp.</p><p>The Avatar and his friends did not return for the rest of the afternoon. At dusk, someone tried once, twice, to light a fire with a pair of spark rocks. On the third try, the flames caught, and a flickering, orange speck appeared in the darkness. </p><p>Zuko watched the fire leap and crouch. He followed the rhythm with his chest until, deep into the night, sleep claimed him.</p>
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<a name="section0002"><h2>2. laura palmer</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>me: spends months working on a project that I am very proud of<br/>people: hey i like this<br/>me: you WHAT</p><p>Seriously, thank you for your comments on the first chapter! It means a lot.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>As dawn approached, Katara kept watch over two things: her camp, and the pot of congee simmering atop the fire. Seven bowls waited at her left, along with her ulu and a pile of minced ginger. This was breakfast: ginger congee, a dish meant to make their rice stretch.</p><p>(It was already as thin as the sinew she used to sew her anorak. Then again, she had grown up stretching: her food, her patience, her meager knowledge of the history flowing through her veins.) </p><p>She stirred the congee with her hand, moving two fingers through the air in a slow, smooth arc. Steam drifted from the pot in delicate swirls, and her stomach rumbled at the scent of rice. Rice was one of the few foods she routinely enjoyed since leaving the south; fruits tended to be so sweet they made her toes curl, and most meats were cooked far too dry and firm for her preferences. She longed for the taste of fresh seal’s blood. It had a rich, iron-like flavor that never failed to warm her from the inside out. Such was the purpose of seal’s blood: to enrich that of a person’s, unifying their inua and forming a strong union against the chill of the tundra.</p><p>There was a chill here in the mountains, too. The chasm beyond the edge of the pagoda was a sea of shifting, white mist, a perpetual wave crashing ashore. It would burn away once the day grew warm, but the moon was still in the sky, albeit so far east she had to strain to feel it. </p><p>Master Pakku’s voice came to mind. According to him, a waterbender should always know the phase of the moon from the way it pulled at one’s chi. It had been new last night, which meant Tui <em> (Yue, </em>her mind whispered), was facing away from the world, preparing to turn and begin a new journey across the sky. The coming journey would lend strength to Katara’s bending: presently, she could sense, but not command, alternative sources of water.</p><p>There was, of course, the pot simmering in front of her. There was the fountain, the mist, and the waterskin at her hip. But beyond the temple was a jungle thrumming with wetness, a chi-like lattice of roots and stems and vines. Water was everywhere; water was everything, and Katara found herself wondering how she had been so blind before. If she closed her eyes, she could feel hers and her friends’ heartbeats—seven steady, languid drumbeats, pushing and pulling blood through their veins. Tui and La guarded the balance of more than the moon and tides, even the balance of those who tried to destroy it: an eighth heartbeat sat near the edge of the pagoda, beating far faster than the others. She was almost grateful that the moon wasn't full. </p><p>Her hands jerked at the thought, and water sloshed down the sides of the pot, hissing where it met the flames below.</p><p>“K’tara?”</p><p>She whipped around to see Sokka propping himself onto his elbows, swiping a trail of drool from his chin. “What’re you making?" He sniffed the air hopefully. "Rice?”</p><p>“Congee,” Katara replied, turning back to the pot. She uncurled her fingers, drew in a breath, and begin to bend the water again. “It’ll be ready when everyone’s up.”</p><p>“Gotcha.”</p><p>There was a <em> swish </em> of air as Sokka threw off his pelts. She heard him let out a hiss as his feet hit the stone floor. “Should’ve grabbed my anorak,” he grumbled, plopping down next to her.</p><p>“Sokka, I’m trying to cook. There’s a fire right here.”</p><p>“Yeah, but that’s <em> so </em> far, and you’re <em> so </em>warm. But,” Sokka pulled out a leather bag and shook it at her, “can I make it up to you with some seal jerky?” </p><p>“We’re about to eat, so, no.”</p><p>“A’ou’ to?” he said through a mouthful of jerky, then swallowed. “I mean, about to? I’ve heard you complain about how long it takes to make congee. How long’ve you been up?”</p><p>“I know <em> you </em> didn’t fall asleep until the moonhigh. You don’t have to stay up all night to guard camp. We have Toph.”</p><p>“Yeah, I know, it’s just—” Sokka broke off and skimmed a hand over the back of his head. “I mean, I’m not, like, worried or anything, I just—” He grappled with his words for several beats, mouth gaping like a fish. Then, he met her gaze, eyes wide, and it came spilling out of him in one breath: <em> “He’s </em>here, and Dad said—just, what if I made the wrong call?"</p><p>The look on his face was pleading, helpless. It was a look that reminded her of shattered ice walls and smoking village houses, of moonless nights and black suns.</p><p>“Dad said to move with the tides,” she said at last. “You know how I feel about having him here, <em> but,” </em> she added when Sokka’s face fell, “you won’t know if you made the right choice until… you just know, I guess.”</p><p>The corners of Sokka’s mouth tightened. “Yeah. You’re right.” He turned away and reached for a branch he’d grabbed yesterday. It had been stripped of bark, exposing the pale wood underneath. He drew his jaw-bone knife and dug it into a point near the branch's end. A strip of wood curled beneath his blade. He brushed it aside, then fitted his blade to the notch and carved it deeper.</p><p>They settled into silence. It was quiet, save for the soft <em> skritch </em>of bone on wood and the murmur of simmering water. Soon, the sun rose over the opposite cliffside, bathing the air temple in soft, yellow light. Toph was the first to wake. </p><p>“I smell ginger,” was the first thing out of her mouth. “Gimme before I start breaking things.”</p><p>"Keep it down,” Katara hissed. “Aang is still sleeping."</p><p>“Ginger."</p><p>Katara huffed out a sigh, but she placed a thin slice of ginger into Toph's palm. She had set it aside earlier, when she had prepared breakfast. </p><p>"Thanks, sweetness."</p><p>“Breathe away from me, and we’ll be even.”</p><p>“I’ll breathe where I want. <em> Haaah.” </em></p><p>"I sense a disturbance in the air," came a voice from above. Aang peered over the edge of Appa's saddle. With a grin, he launched himself over the edge and landed next to Sokka. His mouth fell open in a jaw-cracking yawn. “Ow.” He peered over Sokka’s shoulder. “Hey, I like your stick.”</p><p>“It’s not a stick, it’s a <em> nuqaq.” </em></p><p>“What happened to the old one?” Toph asked innocently.</p><p>Katara hid a snort behind her hand.</p><p>Aang frowned. “I don’t get it."</p><p>Toph opened her mouth, but Katara slapped the ground. “Absolutely not. You’re not supposed to know that word, and neither is Aang.”</p><p>"But—"</p><p>"<em> Ahem."</em> Sokka cleared his throat, in the way he always did when he wanted to explain something. “As I said, this is a nuqaq.” He ignored Toph’s giggles. “Or, as they say in the lesser tongue, a spear thrower. When it’s done, I’ll be able to throw darts nine times faster than a sled dog.”</p><p>“My question,” said Toph, “is why. As in, why do we care?"</p><p>“Okay, one, rude. Two, in case you haven't noticed, we have Haru, Teo, and The Duke to feed. Not to mention," Sokka jerked his chin at Zuko, “Prince Jerkface over there.”</p><p>The crackling of the fire seemed to grow louder.</p><p>“Alright, time to eat!" Katara said brightly. "Someone wake the others, and do <em> not </em>mention Zuko to The Duke.”</p><p>The air temple came alive with the sounds of chatter and breakfast. Momo flitted from person to person, sniffing at the congee, then turning his nose away at the bitter, tangy scent of ginger. It was a smaller meal than Katara had grown up eating, but she reminded herself that the other nations tended to eat three meals a day, not two. When everyone had scraped their bowls clean, she peered into the bottom of the pot. "Does anyone want seconds? There's enough for another bowl, and more ginger if anyone wants that, too."</p><p>"Um, Katara?"</p><p>Katara turned to see Aang rubbing the back of his neck, his brows drawn together in concern. She sighed. "Aang, I've told you countless times that I don't use animal broth to make congee. You're fine."</p><p>"No, that’s not it, it's just," Aang lowered his voice, <em> “Him. </em> We should probably give him breakfast, too, 'cause he's, you know." He glanced at The Duke. "Our pri—"</p><p>"Fine." Katara scooped the rest of the congee into a bowl and held it into the air. “Who wants to go over and give this to Z-U-K-O?"</p><p>"That spells Zuko," The Duke announced, then paused. "What does that mean?"</p><p>"It means that it's time for us to explore the temple some more," Haru cut in, rapping his knuckles on the Duke's helmet. "Are you ready, or do you want to laze around and waste the morning?"</p><p>This did the trick. When Teo, The Duke, and Haru had gone, Katara turned back to the group. "Seriously, who wants to give this to Zuko? It's not going to be me. He’s lucky he gets to eat.”</p><p>“I have training with Toph,” Aang said quickly.</p><p>Toph cocked a brow. “Do you now?”</p><p>"...I do now.”</p><p>Katara turned to Sokka, who threw up his hands. “Don’t look at me, I have stuff to do.”</p><p>“I’ll do it.” Toph held out her hand for the bowl. “And put the rest of the ginger on. I have a feeling he’ll like it.”</p><p>Katara used her ulu to scrape the remaining ginger into the bowl, then handed it to Toph. “Be careful,” she warned. "Don't get too close."</p><p>"Because he's <em> so </em>scary," Toph scoffed. "I'll be fine."</p><p>As Toph headed towards the edge of the pagoda, Sokka stood and brushed wood shavings from his pants. "Yeah, I'm gonna head out too." </p><p>Katara eyed him as he sheathed his boomerang. "And where are you going?"</p><p>“Hunting,” Sokka shrugged. “And… to find Zuko’s camp. He has to have stuff, right? Maybe there’ll be something that can help Aang, like a firebending scroll or something.”</p><p>Aang looked up at him hopefully. “Can I come with?”</p><p>“No can do, buddy. You’re training today, remember?”</p><p>"Yes,” Aang grumped. A beat later, he bounced to his feet with a gust of air, sending a wave of dust scattering across the temple floor. “But you need someone to get you to the jungle, right? I can airlift you, no trouble at all! Please? <em> Please </em>can I airlift you?"</p><p>Sokka scrubbed a hand down his face. “Fine.” He handed Katara his bowl, murmuring a quick, <em> “I’ll be back after sunhigh” </em> in their first tongue.</p><p><em> “Keep your blood warm,” </em> Katara responded by rote.</p><p>By mid-morning, camp had cleared, leaving Katara with a pile of empty bowls and a smoking fire. She rose and slipped off her anorak: there was mending to do, supplies to organize, and, throughout it all, a firebender to watch.</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>...</b>
</p><p> </p><p>“I found your camp.”</p><p>Zuko opened his eyes as something large and dark hit the ground in front of him. It was a leather rucksack. <em> His </em> leather rucksack. He raised his head to see the Water Tribe boy gazing down at him, arms crossed.</p><p>“I'm here to interrogate you, so you'd better behave.”</p><p>“Okay,” Zuko said. He hid a wince at the way his voice scraped out of him.</p><p>"Sanna below, you sound horrible. Here—" The Water Tribe boy removed his waterskin from his belt and walked behind Zuko. "Can't believe I have to do this," he muttered, then raised his voice, "I'm not an earthbender—bending is <em> so </em>overrated, anyways—so I guess, shout if you're choking."</p><p>He tapped Zuko's cheek, and Zuko bit back a grimace. He tilted his head back so it rested against the Water Tribe boy's thighs and opened his mouth. Water, fresh and cool, poured down his throat. Zuko swallowed rapidly. Several beats later, he jerked forward, coughing.</p><p>"My bad.” The Water Tribe boy walked back to the rucksack and sat. "Now," he said, fastening the waterskin onto his waist, "explain what you brought to spy on us, and I might give you some more."</p><p>Zuko cleared his throat. “I didn’t bring anything to spy on you with."</p><p>“Oh yeah? Then what's—" The Water Tribe boy reached into the rucksack and pulled out a package, "—this?”</p><p>“That,” said Zuko, “is jerky.”</p><p>“Is it really?” The Water Tribe boy stuck a piece into his mouth. Immediately, his dark skin flushed red. “Pleh!” He spat out the jerky and glared at Zuko. “You poisoned me!”</p><p>Zuko gaped at him. He had heard that tribesmen had tongues of snow that melted at the slightest bit of heat. But this? This was pathetic. </p><p>“I did not!”</p><p>“Ngeh! My tongue is on fire!”</p><p>“That's your own fault!"</p><p>The waterbender hurried over. A coil of water twisted between her hands. “What’s going on? What did you do.” She hurled the accusation at Zuko, who almost flinched at the force of it.</p><p>“Poison,” gasped the Water Tribe boy, banging his fist on the ground.</p><p>“It’s not poison!” Zuko snapped. “It’s called flavor!”</p><p>“If it’s poison, he should eat some himself—then we’ll know if it’s deadly or not.” The waterbender tore off a piece of jerky and pressed it against Zuko’s lips.</p><p>Zuko bit back a protest and accepted the piece. It was coated in eastern ember pepper, which gave the jerky a tangy, earthy kick. “See?” he said once he’d swallowed. "Tell your brother to be more careful when going through my pack.”</p><p>She glared at him. Her eyes were shards of sea glass. “It’s not yours anymore. Nothing is, and nothing will be. You don’t get a claim to anything—not the Fire Nation, not the throne, and not a place in this group!” With that, she stalked, yelling, “Aang! It’s time to practice waterbending!”</p><p>"Damn, Katara," the Water Tribe boy muttered. He returned to Zuko’s pack and pulled out a large sack that jingled when he shook it. “Oh, sweet,” he said, peering inside. “Where’d you get this? Lied and stole, I bet.”</p><p>“From the royal treasury. I got them from the royal treasury. Because I am, technically, still royalty."</p><p>"Interesting story..." The Water Tribe boy set the bag aside. He made Zuko state the purpose of his map, compass, writing set, extra tunic, rope, and, embarrassingly enough, his theatre scrolls.</p><p>
  <em> “The Dragon and the Dandelion?” </em>
</p><p>Heat rose to Zuko’s face. “It’s—a classic. Be careful with it.”</p><p>“<em> An Ember Dies at Dawn?”</em></p><p>“Also a classic. They’re all classics. So boring. You don't—no, don't do that."</p><p>The Water Tribe boy unfurled the scroll and read the first few lines aloud. “Long ago, the four nations lived in harm—” He paused. “Worst opening ever. I’m over it.” He placed the theatre scrolls aside.</p><p><em> Breathe, </em> Zuko reminded himself, eyeing the grit covering his scrolls. <em> You asked for this. </em>Unfortunately, his attempt at inner peace shattered when the Water Tribe boy held up an ornately-decorated sheath.</p><p>“Oh, and I found these.” The Water Tribe boy unsheathed the dao and ran a finger along one of the blades. "Owie," he muttered, sticking his sliced finger into his mouth.</p><p>“Put those down!” Zuko yanked at his restraints, but the stone refused to budge. It dug into his wrists, pinning him to the temple floor. Still, he fixed his fiercest scowl onto his face and growled, sparks crackling through his teeth, <em> “Put. Those. Down. </em> You don't even know how to hold them!”</p><p>The Water Tribe boy yelped and scrambled away. A beat later, he glared at Zuko. “Hey, you’re in no position to be making demands. I’m giving the orders here, and I order you to tell me what these dumb tassels are for.” He flicked the green cloth that dangled at the end of the dao.</p><p><em> “Don't—” </em> Zuko drew in a breath. “Don’t touch that. It’s tradition. Put my swords down before you damage them.”</p><p>“Like you know how to wield dual dao.”</p><p>“I do!"</p><p>“Well, I’m confiscating them for now.” The Water Tribe boy slid them into their sheath, and Zuko relaxed. The moment of calm didn't last long as the Water Tribe boy uncovered his Agni-damned tantō and sheath. “What is it with you guys and fabric at the ends of your knives?” he muttered, winding his finger around the cloth at the tantō's end. “And why do you need so many sharp things?"</p><p>“The tantō is essential,” Zuko muttered. “Every soldier has one.”</p><p>“Every soldier?” The Water Tribe boy leaned forward. "Why? Are they standard-issue or what? I thought firebending was the ultimate weapon or something."</p><p>“It doesn’t matter.”</p><p>“Sounds like it does.”</p><p>Zuko looked away, swallowing the rising pressure in his throat. “It’s sacred. Ceremonial. You receive one when you become an adult.”<em> If sixteen counts as an adult, </em> he added silently. </p><p>“So, Fire Nation culture stuff. See? Was that really so hard?” The Water Tribe boy set the tantō aside. “And what about this?” He held up a leather-bound journal. “You <em> are </em>a spy.”</p><p>“I am not! It’s for <em> journaling.” </em></p><p>"These pages are just filled with 'I feel angry' over and over again."</p><p>"Uncle said writing my feelings down every day would help."</p><p>"Hmmm." The Water Tribe boy flipped through the pages. "Dear journal," he read aloud, "today, I plan to approach the Avatar. Below, I have written out what I plan to say." As he scanned the page, his eyebrows climbed higher on his forehead. “Wow. This isn't what you said at all.”</p><p>"I'm aware," Zuko snapped, smoke curling from his lips.</p><p>“Hey, I’m going to need you to calm down. Oh, hey, this looks like this is the last thing." The Water Tribe boy reached into the pack and pulled out—</p><p>"That's my toothbrush. Please put it away."</p><p>"So it's 'please' now, huh?"</p><p>The questioning continued in much the same manner throughout the day: "Tell me everything you know about the Fire Nation navy." and "What are the Fire Lord's weaknesses?" and "What are <em> your </em>weaknesses?" It was a relief when the Avatar, Toph, and the waterbender returned to camp, and Sokka demanded snacks.</p><p>This time, the waterbender brought him food and fruit. She watched him like a hawk as Toph released his hands so he could eat. “You’re lucky we don’t do it like they did in waterbender prisons," she said coolly.</p><p>“I don’t know how they did it in waterbender prisons,” Zuko responded, tossing the waterskin at her feet.</p><p>She scoffed. “Of course you don’t. Your entire family has nothing but cruelty in their veins, it's time you learned that."</p><p>Zuko said nothing, and thought of his mother’s grandfather.</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>… </b>
</p><p> </p><p>“Toph, this is the third time I’ve asked you to move. I don’t want your feet near the food.”</p><p>“What, these feet?” Toph shifted closer to the fire. Warmth tickled the soles of her feet, and she wiggled her toes, pleased. “Try to move me, I dare you.”</p><p>“Don’t,” Aang groaned from above. Toph couldn't sense him; he was probably in Appa's saddle. “It won’t end well.”</p><p>Katara let out a full-bodied, earth-moving sigh. “I just don’t want you getting too close to the fire <em> or </em>the food," she said. "I’m not healing you if you get burned.”</p><p>“Heal <em> me,” </em> Aang groaned again.</p><p>Sokka snickered. “Go a little too hard during training, buddy?”</p><p>
  <em> “Yes.” </em>
</p><p>“Oh, like you’re one to laugh,” Katara said. “What've you done today besides mess around in the jungle and antagonize Zuko?”</p><p>"Yeah." Toph glared in Sokka’s general direction. “You went out hunting for hours and came back with, what? An underinflated sense of self-worth? We can’t survive on noodles, you know.”</p><p>“It—I—hey, let's not forget that I found Zuko’s camp. That’s something! Besides," Sokka drew himself up, "I was getting a feel for the land so I can hunt tomorrow."</p><p>Toph smacked her stomach. "Tomorrow or die, nuucok boy."</p><p>"It's nuqaq!”</p><p>“Did you find anything interesting?” Haru cut in. </p><p>Out of everyone's voices, his was the most familiar to Toph. Although his accent betrayed his upbringing as close to the Mo Ce Sea, he spoke informally, like the speech Toph had heard at Earth Rumble VI.</p><p>“Kind of?" Sokka replied. There was a rustle of cloth, then a <em> thump </em> as something heavy hit the temple floor. "The guy has a surprising amount of blades. He’s got dual swords, a hunting knife, and this.” A metallic <em> sheen </em>sounded through the air. "It’s too long to be a hunting knife, but way too short to be a proper sword. He said it was ceremonial?”</p><p>Toph thrust out her hand. "Lemme feel."</p><p>Sokka placed the weapon into her palm, and she curled her fingers around the blade. It had a short, straight-edged shape that tapered to a slender point. A line of characters ran along the flat of the blade in delicate script. "What's the inscription say?"</p><p>"May Agni’s flame burn eternal," Sokka supplied.</p><p>"Huh. This is a really fine make." A cloth dangled at the end of the handle, and she wound it around her fist. The texture was feather-soft and slick, like the robes she had worn back in Gaoling. It was embroidered, too, with thin, sweeping patterns of thread. "And what does this say?"</p><p>“Nothing. It's just a bunch of swirls, with the Fire Nation's flame symbol."</p><p>"Hold on." Haru shifted forward. "Can I see it?"</p><p>Toph held out the blade in his direction, and he took it.</p><p>“Yeah," he said after a while. “I’ve seen this type of blade before. It’s a tantō, I think.” He paused. “In my village, there was this really old guy who used to say he was at the Siege of Ba Sing Se. He had a collection of these blades, all over the wall of his house, like decorations. When the Fire Nation occupied my village, they, uh. They weren’t happy with him. They killed him.”</p><p>“I’m sorry to hear that,” Katara said in a hushed tone. “Did he ever say what they were for?”</p><p>“No. I asked my dad once, but he wouldn’t tell me.”</p><p>Sokka sat back onto his heels. “Huh. When we were in the Fire Nation, we found a bunch of these in like, blocks of wood. Remember, Aang? You wouldn’t let me take one.”</p><p>“I had a bad feeling! I didn’t want to upset anyone!”</p><p>“Yeah, but there was, like, a boat-load of knives. I'm sure they wouldn't've missed one."</p><p>"Did Zuko have anything <em> else?" </em> Aang hedged. "A firebending scroll, maybe?</p><p>“Nah, but he had a lot of other scrolls with him. Theatre scrolls.”</p><p>Toph raised her brows. “Which ones?”</p><p>“Uh, hold on.” The sound of rustling paper reached Toph’s ears. “Okay, so he has<em> Love Amongst the Dragons, The Dragon and the Dandelion, </em> and <em> An Ember Dies at Dawn. </em>What a nerd.”</p><p>“Hey, I like plays,” Toph said.</p><p>Silence fell over the campsite.</p><p>“I’m guessing from the silence that you’re all staring at me with confused expressions. Yes, I like plays, is that going to be a problem?” She fixed a scowl onto her face. Everyone seemed properly cowed, until: </p><p>“Nerd.”</p><p>Toph dug her left heel into the temple floor. A column of stone shot up beneath Sokka, and he toppled onto the ground with a yelp. Before he could respond, Katara's voice cut through the air:</p><p>“Stop it, you two. Dinner’s ready. Toph, there’s lotus root and omodaka on the noodles.” Her voice took on a lighter tone. “Aang helped me explore some of the temple. There’s a built-in pond in one of the pagodas.”</p><p>Toph winked in her direction. “And I’ll bet you guys explored some other things too.”</p><p>“We did!” Aang chimed in. “I showed her the Pai Sho room!"</p><p>A loud slap echoed throughout camp. It was a sound Toph had long since become accustomed to: Sokka smacking his own forehead.</p><p>Toph snickered as she climbed to her feet. "Hey, give me you-know-who's. I'll take it over to him."</p><p>“You’d rather—" Katara broke off and lowered her voice. "You'd rather eat with <em> him?</em> He can wait until we're done."</p><p>Toph held out her hands. "I have questions."</p><p>“Questions about theatre scrolls, I bet,” Sokka began, but stopped as Toph raised her foot.</p><p>“That’s what I thought. The food, sweetness, hand it over."</p><p>"Fine."</p><p>Two wooden bowls were placed into her palms, and with a curt <em> "thanks," </em> Toph headed towards the edge of the pagoda.</p><p>Zuko was still bound in that formal, upright position he had chosen. His pulse took off like a spooked ostrich horse as she approached, yet the rhythm of his breaths held steady, at odds with the tempo of his heart.</p><p>"Hey, Sparky." She plopped herself onto the ground. "I brought you food, not your impending doom, so you can calm down." With a smack of her palm, the stone around Zuko's hands rumbled away, and she nudged a bowl in his direction.</p><p>"Thank you." The bowl lifted from the ground. He added something else under his breath, a phrase in the Fire Nation language that was too quick for her to decipher.</p><p>"What's that mean?"</p><p>"What I just said?” At her nod, Zuko let out a breath. “Okay, um… It’s like, a phrase we say before eating. In the Fire Nation, that is.” He repeated the phrase again, and Toph found delight in the language’s low pitch and curt vowels. <em> “Kono tabemono o maki to shite tsukaimasu. </em> I guess it translates to, may my inner flame use it well, but that’s not a word for word. A word for word would be like,” he paused, “um, sort of like, I will use this food as fuel, but it’s really a promise to use the food we eat for our inner flames, and do so honorably. Yeah. Sorry," he added. "I'm not good with explanations."</p><p>Toph let out a bark of laughter. "Truth. New rule: if you can't say it in twenty words or less, don't say it at all."</p><p>"Okay?"</p><p>They fell into silence as they ate. After a while, she felt Zuko shift in place and take in a breath, the way people did when they wanted to speak.</p><p>"It's, uh, good," he said. "Very flavorful.”</p><p>“Lie,” Toph smirked. “It’s bland as Koh, but Sugar Queen won’t let me cook.”</p><p>“Is it because of the, uh.” There was a <em> whoosh </em>ing motion through the air, and Toph guessed he had waved his hand in front of his eyes.</p><p>“No, it’s because I don’t know how to cook.”</p><p>“Oh."</p><p>“You don’t get out much, do you?”</p><p>“Well, actually, I’ve been ‘out’ for the past three years. I’m just not very good with people."</p><p>"Truth, but I didn't need the earth to tell me that."</p><p>"About that. Can I ask why you believe me, apart from the whole,” He patted the earth awkwardly, “earthbending thing?"</p><p>“I’m a good judge of character. Also, I don’t know what you did." Toph frowned. "Well, I know some of it, but not all. It kind of sucks when everyone makes references to stuff that happened before I joined the group."</p><p>"...How did you join the group?"</p><p>"I'll tell you, but then you have to tell me everything you did to Aang and Katara and Sokka. From the way Sweetness talks, your scale is so far out of your favor it’s fallen over. Deal?" She stuck out her hand. After a beat, a warm, calloused palm covered her own, and they shook.</p><p>"It's not really much of a story." Toph sat back onto her hands, spreading her fingers wide over the ground. "Aang saw my skills and begged me to teach him. I'm just that good."</p><p>"How did he find you?"</p><p>"Through an underground fighting ring."</p><p>“A what."</p><p>"Keep up, Sparky. I was the reigning champion at Earth Rumble VI until twinkletoes came along and stole my title. Then, he broke into my home and insulted my parents." She shrugged. "I ended up running away to join him. Oh, and I fought like six guys at once and showed my dad what a badass I was. As you do."</p><p>"As you do," Zuko echoed. "I have questions."</p><p>"Everyone does. Save 'em—I want to hear about what you did to Katara. She really hates you."</p><p>"Okay, but I'll have to use more than twenty words."</p><p>Toph snorted. "That was a joke, Sparky. Take as long as you need."</p><p>After several beats of silence, he took in a breath. “I was tasked with finding the Avatar. But the real story begins in the South Pole. That was where I... met everyone for the first time."</p><p>And thus began a monologue that rivaled<em> Love Amongst the Dragons, The Dragon and the Dandelion, </em> and <em> An Ember Dies at Dawn </em> combined. It was awkward; it was halting; it was full of gaps, backtracks, and pauses. At times, Zuko’s voice seemed to rasp out of him, heavy and low with the type of shame only hindsight can provide. He was honest in a way that made Toph feel voyeuristic: she was privy to the heartbeats, pulses, and movements of everyone she had met, but how many people had <em> let </em>themselves be seen by her?</p><p>When Zuko finished, he sat back with a sigh. "And I’m here now. What I did was wrong, but it’s my destiny to train the Avatar, I know it.” His pulse ticked upwards. Toph felt him run his fingers across the temple floor, and the rasp of skin on stone reached her ears. “When I went back, I thought I had restored my honor, but even then, I knew the Avatar wasn’t dead. That must’ve been something I had in common with everyone else: I knew he would return, even if I didn’t know how. He was everyone’s hope, and I tried to take that away. Now, he is my hope for defeating Father."</p><p>He fell silent again. Cicada-keets droned in the distance. The scent of smoke lazed through the air, pricking the back of Toph’s throat.</p><p>“Truth,” she said at last. “It was pretty sucky of you to unleash that assassin on us, and I’ll beat you to into the ground for it later, but it’ll be a friendly match.”</p><p>“Friendly?”</p><p>Toph offered him a grin. “Look, Aang has to learn firebending, and you’re literally right here. Katara'll come around."</p><p>“I hope so. I wish Uncle was here.”</p><p>“Don’t we all.” Toph yawned. “Anyways, I’m tired, so how do you want to do this? Same as last night?"</p><p>“Yeah.”</p><p>He rearranged himself into a seiza, and per Toph's direction, stone rose to anchor him in place. “You’re gonna regret that in the morning," she told him, but he shrugged in response.</p><p>When Toph returned to camp, Katara was waiting. "What took you so long." Her foot tapped a tattoo against the temple floor, and her voice sliced through the air, edged with steel.</p><p>“That’s between me and Zuko.” She ignored Katara's response and flopped onto the ground. To her left, she felt Sokka sit up. </p><p>"Did you find out anything important?"</p><p>Toph pillowed her hands behind her head. She tilted her chin towards the temple ceiling. The world drummed around her: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven… and eight heartbeats. </p><p>"Yeah, I did.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you for reading! A couple things:</p><p>What do y'all think of Zukka? I've gone back and forth on the ship since this fic's creation. Tell me your thoughts.</p><p>Secondly, excuse my veiled metaphors, but I think Katara and Sokka are two sides of the same coin. Since leaving her tribe, Katara has embraced the fact that she is both a warrior and woman. This an understanding she’s held for a long time but was unable to express due to her responsibilities--which stemmed, in part, from her mother's death. Her development means she must deal with her lingering anger at being forced into one of those roles for so long at such a young age. This anger takes the form of hatred against the Fire Nation and the pain it has caused to her.</p><p>Sokka, on the other hand, has accepted the union of warrior and womenhood, but his definition of a warrior as it pertains to *himself* is different. To him, a warrior and a man are intrinsically the same thing; one cannot be a man without being a warrior, and vice versa. His sense of self is warped because it hinges on being a warrior, and any failure as such is a huge blow to his identity. (Re: invasion, failing his dad). His development means he must be challenged in his beliefs and shown that he is more than a warrior.</p><p>Thirdly, I'm a linguistics nerd, and I’ve got a lot to say when it comes to the languages in the world of Avatar. Sadly, this is not the fic to explore such things in depth. You can have some cultural phrases, as a treat. The phrase in here is a version of "itadakimasu" I think the Fire Nation would use.<br/>Direction translation: “I will use this food as firewood (fuel)."<br/>Meaning (more ceremonial purpose): “May my inner flame use this food honorably.”<br/>Romaji: Kono tabemono o maki to shite tsukaimasu.<br/>Characters: この食べ物を 薪として使います<br/>(maki) is used instead of nenryou (fuel), as maki can be translated specifically as fuel for fire, like firewood</p><p>Finally, I’m trying my best with writing Toph POV. Her POV tends to have more dialogue strings and more descriptions, and I hope I wrote her well. I'm very iffy on this chapter, but I have college stuff to worry abt, so I just hit publish without editing as much.</p><p>Thank u for coming to my ted talk. Please comment! :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. things we lost in the fire</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you for such an incredible response on the last chapter. To all the people who said they like the Toph and Zuko dynamic I’ve set up so far… &gt;:)</p><p>This chapter includes a reference to MuffinLance’s Kindling AU.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Aang woke to a warm, even rhythm against his back. Immediately, he turned and burrowed his face into Appa’s side. The bison rumbled beneath him, and Aang sank further into Appa’s fur, breathing in his familiar, grass-and-grain musk.</p><p>"You good there, buddy?"</p><p>Aang jumped. He twisted around to see Sokka staring at him from across the remains of last night’s campfire. </p><p>"Yeah," Aang said, eyeing campfire. A thin, grey ribbon of smoke lazed through the air. After a beat, he shook his head and offered Sokka a grin. "Yeah, I’m good, I was just checking Appa for flamingo-ticks. He doesn’t have any. Flamingo-ticks, I mean.”</p><p>Sokka looked at him for a long moment, then sighed and tugged on his wolf tail. “Sure thing. Hey, c'mere.” He waved Aang over with his knife. “You wanna learn how to whittle? I’ll teach you, if you’re up to it.”</p><p>Aang flew to his feet in a puff of air. He settled next to Sokka and leaned his chin on the warrior's shoulder. Sokka squirmed beneath him.</p><p>“Dude, you’re so bony. This is why you need to eat meat. Don’t you want to grow up big and strong like me?”</p><p>“Appa eats only grasses and fruit, and he’s big and strong. Also, you’re still a kid.”</p><p>“Appa is—he’s an outlier. At this rate, you’re gonna look like Momo.”</p><p>“That’s a compliment. Momo is very handsome."</p><p>Sokka chuckled. "Very good. Anyways, you're a beginner, so wrap this around your thumb." He handed Aang a roll of white cloth. “Make sure it’s tight. Good, exactly like that. Now, see this?” He held up the branch, which was beginning to take the form of a smaller, smoother branch, with the bonus of a notch at one end. "The length is fine, but it needs to be a lot lighter. Watch how I move my knife. Long, smooth cuts, so the wood curls up like that. Brush it away—and don’t get a splinter, ‘cause Katara’s no good for those. You do <em> not </em> want to let her dig something out of your hand, let me tell you."</p><p>Aang eyed Sokka's hands as he carved. The pad of his thumb was callused where Sokka braced his knife, and thin scars dotted the back of his hands. The skin on his fingers was mostly unmarked, though: a canvas waiting to be inked. </p><p>“Ready to try?”</p><p>Aang blinked. “Um, sure. But can I make something else?”</p><p>Sokka handed him a smaller knife and a cut of wood. “You can make all sorts of things,” he said with a crooked grin. “Carvings, sculptures, pendants, stuff like that. Beads if you’re really good, but you’d need different tools for that.”</p><p>“You’re really good, right?”</p><p>“Uh—”</p><p>Aang gasped. "You should carve Appa! Please? <em> Please </em>can you carve Appa?"</p><p>Sokka’s smile faltered. “Maybe after I finish this, and the darts. For now, I don’t have the time for that.” He rubbed a hand over the back of his head. “The last time I made a carving like that was when I was—Sanna, it must’ve been when I was eleven. It was bone, not wood, and it kind of sucked, to be honest, but…”</p><p>“But?” Aang hedged.</p><p>Sokka shook his head. “Nothing. You should make an Appa, though. Just, be careful. If you cut yourself, Katara'll go into the Avatar state."</p><p>They whittled in silence until Katara woke up. According to her, if they had the time to sit around and play with wood so early in the morning, they certainly had the time to gather water for the rice, start the fire, and collect humming-toad eggs, all of which she did while lecturing them. By the time the sun was making its way over the opposite side of the canyon, breakfast—rice with ginger and humming-toad eggs—was served.</p><p>Katata held up a bowl. “Toph, do you want to take this over to Zuko?”</p><p>Aang jumped to his feet. “Actually, can I do it?” He shifted from foot to foot as Katara squinted at him. </p><p>“You want to do it?” Her hand dropped to her hip. “Why?”</p><p>“‘Cause I want to?”</p><p>Sokka frowned. “You’re not gonna get all buddy-buddy with him like Toph, right?”</p><p>“No, I just—"</p><p>“Trying to steal my Zuko time,” Toph said mutinously. “Don’t think I’ll forget this.”</p><p>Soon enough, Aang set out across the pagoda with two bowls in hand and Momo at his shoulder. "Don't worry, Momo," he said as they neared Zuko. "Zuko set Appa free, and I think he likes Toph, so we should be fine. Probably."</p><p>Momo chirped. The tip of his tail tickled Aang's ear. </p><p>“I brought you breakfast,” Aang announced, sitting a healthy distance away from Zuko. He swept his fingers across the temple floor, and the stone retracted from Zuko's hands. Then, with a puff of wind, he floated one of the bowls towards Zuko.</p><p>"...Thank you," Zuko said quietly. His right brow drew inwards as he accepted the bowl. He then muttered a phrase that made Aang straighten.</p><p>"Hey, I know what that means! My friend Kuzon used to say it all the time. You remember Kuzon, right?"</p><p>"Uh, wasn't he your friend in the Fire Nation?"</p><p>"Yep! Except he said it differently." Aang frowned. "I can't remember what it was exactly, but he said it translated to, um... oh, yeah! 'I will use this food to fuel my body,' or something like that."</p><p>"Oh. Well, it's different now."</p><p>"Yeah.”</p><p>After several beats of silence, Zuko cleared his throat. "Uh, I like your lemur. What's her name?"</p><p>“<em>H</em><em>is </em>name is Momo.” Aang tickled his fingers under Momo’s chin. Momo’s eyes narrowed into pleased slits, and Aang smiled. “I found him at my air temple, when I first went back.”</p><p>“That must’ve been quite a change." As soon as the words left his mouth, Zuko paled. "That was—I didn't mean to say that. I mean, I did, but I wasn't thinking. I—" He raked a hand through his hair and sighed. "I'm sorry," he said quietly, clasping his hands in his lap. "It was my ancestors who destroyed your people, but I <em> am </em> sorry for that—and for the rest of it, too. The whole chasing thing. I’m sorry—I’m really bad at this."</p><p>Aang stared at Zuko. Zuko stared back. His eyes were wide, and the skin around his left eye was pulled taut.</p><p>“The monks taught me a lot about forgiveness,” Aang said at last. "The death of my people wasn't your fault, but all the other stuff you've done... you chose to do that. Most of that forgiveness isn't mine to give. You can’t take away what you’ve done, not to me, not to Katara, and not to anyone else."</p><p>Zuko dropped his face to his hands. "Then what,” he said through his fingers, “am I supposed to do?"</p><p>"Well... Toph likes you a lot."</p><p>"You're saying I should just wait here until all of you like me?"</p><p>Aang rubbed the back of his neck. "That's not what I'm not saying? We just don't have many options right now. Unless you don't want to be our prisoner anymore? Because if you want to leave, I don't think anyone would have a problem with that, except maybe Sokka. Also, Katara. Also, I think Toph would complain. Also—" He stopped at the look on Zuko’s face, which was a cross between bewilderment and despair.</p><p>“Firstly, that's not how being a prisoner works. That's just—Agni above, I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that. Secondly." Zuko fixed Aang with a piercing look, his eyes like embers ignited. “If you let me go, I'm going to keep coming back. I'm not going to stop unless—unless. Tell me if that aspect of Fire Nation culture has changed in the past hundred years."</p><p>"It hasn't." Aang let out a sigh. "I don't understand. Why couldn't you have joined before? When," his eyes flicked to Zuko's face, "Katara offered to heal your—you."</p><p>Zuko grimaced. “I had to go back."</p><p>"But why?"</p><p>Zuko’s gaze shifted to someplace past Aang’s shoulder, and Aang twisted around to follow it. He found himself staring at the massive, weathered statues that had been carved into the cliffside. They were clothed in robes of moss and stone, and they stood sentry over the air temple, eyes closed in meditation. Behind him, Zuko spoke:</p><p>"It’s like… if you could have the Air Nomads back, could you abandon the war? Could you live up here in isolation, and forget about what’s happening down there?”</p><p>Aang flinched backwards. At his neck, Momo chittered nervously. “That’s not fair. You can’t ask me that, you can't just—”</p><p>"No, I can't," Zuko agreed. "It's not the same, but when I had everything I should have wanted, I couldn’t stop thinking about what I’d seen." He gestured towards the edge of the pagoda, to the bottomless canyon below. "The war doesn't stop down there, just like the war doesn't stop at the shores of the Fire Nation. The war touches everything, it touches <em> everyone</em>. There's not a part of anyone's life that's not been burned, or destroyed, or twisted in the past hundred years. You can't live up here in isolation because the Fire Nation—<em>my </em> nation—reached here, too. If you want to stop it, if you <em> really </em>want to fix things, you need fire. You need me.”</p><p>Aang pressed his fists to his eyes. “I know, I <em> know</em>. I’m the Avatar, I need to master all four elements, I need to restore balance to the world, I need to let go of my earthly attachments, but it’s…” He looked back towards his camp. “It’s not just up to me. You understand why we can't just trust you all of a sudden, right? I mean, your sister gave me this." He lifted his tunic to reveal his scar, a red, star-shaped patch of flesh that had been burned onto his stomach.</p><p>“But I can help you with that!" Zuko surged forward. "I teach you to redirect lightning!”</p><p>With a yelp, Aang sprang to his feet. He air-lifted the bowl from Zuko’s hands and rebound him to the earth, then stuttered out a quick, "I need to go practice earthbending, okay? Okay, bye."</p><p>“Wait! I hear there’s a giant Pai Sho table at this temple—”</p><p>Aang ran for camp. </p><p>Katara was half-risen, her hand on her waterflask, when he returned. Before she could speak, Aang approached her and put on a pleading face.</p><p>"Can we practice waterbending today? Please?”</p><p>She stared at him for a bit, then sighed. “Sure, but someone needs to stay here to keep watch over Zuko.”</p><p>“Don’t look at me,” Sokka said. “I’m hunting today.”</p><p>“Are you?” Toph snorted.</p><p>Aang turned to him. “Do you want me to—”</p><p>“No,” Sokka bit out. “Sorry, I just—” He grimaced. “I’ll have Appa fly me out, and I’ll take the whistle. Have fun with Katara.”</p><p>Aang looked at Toph. “Are you fine with keeping watch?”</p><p>Toph wiggled her toes. “My face says no, but my feet say yes. Go have your review session. Sounds like you need it."</p><p>Aang ended up leading Katara to the upper levels of the pagoda. They found a wide, flat space that had been cleared of rubble. Aang took off his shoes. The stone beneath him was cool and rough, and he took comfort in the way it scraped against the soles of his feet. After a bit of badgering, Katara took off her shoes, too, and they began to pass a stream of water back and forth. There was comfort, too, in the rhythm, in the way they preserved the water’s momentum with wordless synergy. </p><p>“What did he say to you?" she asked after a while. When Aang tried to deny it, Katara shot him a look. “Don't make me get Toph."</p><p>Aang sighed. “It’s not—it wasn’t a bad thing? It was… ” He dropped his hands, and the water splattered to the ground. “I have to do it, don’t I? Learn fire, I mean.”</p><p>“Not from him,” Katara said immediately. With a flick of her hands, she drew the water from the temple floor. She stepped closer and placed a hand on Aang’s shoulder. </p><p>“I don’t think I have a choice.”</p><p>“There’s always a choice, and he already made his. Don’t let him take away yours.”</p><p>“But I think he really is sorry.”</p><p>“Sorry doesn’t erase decades of—of everything, Aang.” As if to punctuate her statement, a gust of wind swept across the temple, disturbing fragments of century-old dust. </p><p>“That wasn’t him. He doesn’t need to answer for that.”</p><p>“Then who does?” Katara’s voice sharpened. “If we welcome him into our group, what does that say about everything he did? Everything his people did? And what happens if we end the war with him? Are we supposed to act like none of this ever happened? No apologies, no reparations? What about people like my—like Hama supposed to do? Someone needs to answer for this war, Aang." She broke off. “I know you want him to be good, but so did I. Maybe things would be different if he’d just—”</p><p>“Gotten here sooner,” Aang finished. The words were ash in his mouth. “Yeah, I get it. I know exactly what you mean.”</p><p>“That’s not what I—"</p><p>“It doesn’t matter.”</p><p>Katara said something else, but Aang turned away and gazed at the edge of the pagoda, at the sweeping drop below, where the war shouldn’t have been able to reach. A century had passed since his disappearance, and the world had burned for it. His people had burned for it; people <em>still</em> burned for it.</p><p><em>Fire is a horrible burden to bear</em>, Master Jeong Jeong had said. <em>Its nature is to consume.</em></p><p>It would be fair payment, Aang decided, to let fire twist him a little, too. This was his duty as the Avatar. </p><p>He turned back to face Katara. “I think,” he said, “it’s time—”</p><p>A scream echoed across the temple.</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>...</b>
</p><p> </p><p>There was a kid standing in front of Zuko. He wore the muted green and brown tones of the Earth Kingdom, and a helmet swallowed half of his face, dipping low over his eyes. </p><p>"Hello," the kid said. "I'm The Duke. That's a 'The,' followed by a 'Duke.' You're our prisoner. Do you have a name, prisoner?"</p><p>Zuko stared at the kid. The kid stared back, expectant. Zuko sighed. He couldn’t afford to terrorize any more kids today. “Zuko,” he said.</p><p>"That's a Fire Nation name," The Duke announced. After a beat, his mouth fell open, and he jabbed a finger at Zuko. "You're ponytail jerkface!"</p><p>"What."</p><p>"Sokka talked about you all the time when we were on the ship! You don't have a ponytail anymore. Did you cut it off?"</p><p>"Uh. Yes."</p><p>"I want a ponytail like Sokka," The Duke continued, "but he calls it a wolf tail, 'cause I think he likes wolves. I like wolves, but I've never seen a wolf. Have you ever seen a wolf?"</p><p>"Where are your parents," Zuko said instead.</p><p>The Duke thumped himself on the chest. "I don't got parents. Don't need 'em. Jet always said we were better off without authority."</p><p>"<em>Jet</em>?"</p><p>"Yes, Jet. I’m Freedom Fighter, you've probably heard of us. At least," The Duke dropped his arm, "I <em> was </em> a Freedom Fighter. Then Jet blew up Gaipan and me and Pipsqueak left."</p><p>"Jet blew up Gaipan," Zuko repeated. “That… I’m not surprised.”</p><p>"Yes. Do you know what that’s called?”</p><p>“No?”</p><p>“An atrocity,” The Duke said matter-of-factly. “I heard Sokka say that once. Anyways, did you know Jet? You said you weren’t surprised. What does that mean?”</p><p>"Uh, kind of. The last time I saw him he was, uh," Zuko glanced at the kid, who was watching him with wide eyes, "still fighting."</p><p>"That makes sense ‘cause he really likes fighting. Pipsqueak said—”</p><p>"<em>Duke!</em>" someone called from across the temple.</p><p>The Duke threw back his head. "It's <em> The </em> Duke," he hollered, fists clenched by his side. "Why can't anyone get it right!"</p><p>Two others ran across the temple. As they neared, Zuko made a correction: one ran; the other rolled over on a wheeled contraption. They arrived next to The Duke, panting. </p><p>“You can’t just run off like that,” the one with the mustache huffed, placing his hands on his knees. After a beat, he straightened and fixed his topknot.</p><p>"We've been looking all over for you," the other added, rolling to a stop beside The Duke.</p><p>"I'm fine," The Duke insisted. "This is Zuko, he's our prisoner. Zuko, this is Teo and Haru." </p><p>Haru glanced at Zuko, his eyes as hard and flat as a slab of slate. Teo offered Zuko a nod. "Hey."</p><p>Zuko eyed the bandages winding around Teo's legs. "What happened to your legs."</p><p>Teo raised his eyebrows. "What happened to your face?"</p><p>Haru knelt to check Zuko's bonds, cupping his hand around the raised mounds of stone. "We probably shouldn't antagonize him."</p><p>"It's okay," The Duke announced. "He's pretty nice for an ashmaker—oops." He clapped his hands over his mouth. "I mean—"</p><p>"It's fine." Zuko stared at the ground. "I traveled in the Earth Kingdom for a while. I got used to it."</p><p>A wrinkle appeared between Haru's brows. "You traveled in the Earth Kingdom? Where'd you go?"</p><p>"Town to town. I don't remember any names."</p><p>"Huh." Haru sat. He thumped his fist against the ground. A stone flew from the temple floor, and he tossed it from hand to hand. "I miss the Earth Kingdom, the food here just doesn't cut it."</p><p>"When I was in the Earth Kingdom, I liked the bean curd puffs," Zuko said. "They were… good."</p><p>"...Me too." Haru shook his head in wonder. "This might be the longest conversation I've ever had with an ashmaker."</p><p>"Same here," Teo said.</p><p>The Duke waved his hand. "Also me!"</p><p>"Ashmaker really doesn't bother you?" Haru asked. "The first time I heard a soldier call my father 'mudman,' I almost lost it."</p><p>Zuko shrugged. "Ashmaker stopped bothering me when it was used in every other sentence. Sootmaker is new, I guess. Haven’t heard any others.”</p><p>“I heard m-maki, um, makinoko a lot.” The Duke clapped his hands over his mouth. “Sorry,” he squeaked through his fingers. “Is that a bad word in your language?” </p><p><em> Makinoko</em>. Zuko mouthed the word. <em> Kindling child, or child of kindling</em>. “That’s a Fire Nation word,” he said, almost to himself. He fixed The Duke with a hard look. “Where did you hear that.”</p><p>The Duke took a step backwards. “Um.”</p><p>“Where,” Zuko repeated, “did you hear that.”</p><p>Haru climbed to his feet. All traces of amiability disappeared from his face. “Zuko, stop it.”</p><p>“The Duke,” Zuko said, his voice low. “I need to know. In what context were <em> my </em> soldiers calling their own comrades <em> kindling</em>.”</p><p>“It's—" The Duke’s eyes darted to Zuko’s face, then to the ground. “We did some spying, sometimes, and the soldiers used it to talk about the new firebenders, the ones that go the front lines. 'Cause..."</p><p>Zuko felt his eyes go wide. The air around him seemed to thicken; it formed a tight, unyielding band that wound across his chest, slicing into him, cutting his breaths short. He squeezed his eyes shut.</p><p>When he opened them, the temple had vanished.</p><p>He was seated at the chabudai of a massive chamber. Flames crackled along the chamber walls, and heat licked at the back of his neck. The scent of spice and smoke was heavy on his tongue, but the weight of the generals' gazes was far heavier as they stared at the chabudai, over which a map had been spread.</p><p><em>So I am recommending the 41st division</em>, said General Bujing, sliding a flame-topped marker across the map. <em>The 41st will face the battalion head-on.</em></p><p><em>But the 41st is entirely new recruits</em>, reasoned another general, <em>how do you expect them to defeat an earth battalion of that caliber?</em></p><p>General Bujing placed a new marker on the map, this one far larger than the previous. <em>I don't</em>. <em>They'll be used as a distraction while we mount an attack from the rear.</em> He stepped back from the table and cupped his hands into his sleeves.<em> They won’t suffer if they let Agni guide their hands. Their sacrifice will be much appreciated. After all, when you tempt a bear, what better to use as bait than fresh meat?</em></p><p>Than fresh meat. Than fresh meat. Than burnt meat, the smoky, coppery stench of it so thick it stung the back of his throat—</p><p>"—Sokka or Toph or someone! Go!"</p><p>—tile cold and hard beneath his knees until a hand yanked his head back, exposing the line of his throat—</p><p>“Sparky!”</p><p>The weight around his hands disappeared, and Zuko sprang to his feet. His chest fell in shallow, spark-filled pants, but he heaved in a breath, raised his hands, and kicked out a yellow wave of flame. </p><p>A high-pitched cry pierced the air. Something slammed into his left temple, and his vision flashed white. Zuko found himself staring at the underside of a cliff, at looping, green vines and crumbling stone. Above that, a slip of blue sky, then a storm of gnats descended upon him, crowding his vision with black and grey until he saw nothing at all. </p><p> </p><p>
  <b>...</b>
</p><p> </p><p>“That’s the best I can do for now. Sorry, Toph.”</p><p>“Nah, they feel as good as new.” A pause, then a hissed intake of breath. “Okay, maybe not.”</p><p>“See, Sokka?” The sound of rustling cloth. “I told you he was too dangerous to keep here.”</p><p>“Hey, I wasn’t the only one who—”</p><p>“No, let me finish, I—”</p><p>Zuko opened his eyes. Something wet was running down the side of his face. A knot of pain pulsed at his left temple. He touched two fingers to his head. They came away tipped in red, and he stared at them until they went out of focus. </p><p>“—let him be, but no, each and <em> every </em> one of you feels the need to come over here and say something to him, knowing full well that he’ll say or do anything to capture Aang, and <em> furthermore— </em>”</p><p>“But he—”</p><p>“He <em> what</em>? He’s a firebender, Toph, it’s what they do. Haru—”</p><p>“Guys, I think he’s awake.”</p><p>Immediately, the arguing ceased, leaving a weighted silence in its place. Zuko grimaced. Slowly, he propped himself onto his elbows and found himself the subject of several angry glares. His eyes slid to Toph. She was staring at the ground, her legs stretched in front of her. Her face was a slab of marble: pale, hard, and flat.</p><p>“Toph—”</p><p>“Don’t move.” Sokka strode forward, club in hand. He leveled it at Zuko’s throat. “The only reason you’re not up to your neck in rock is because Haru’s being such a manchild.”</p><p>Zuko shifted his gaze to Haru, whose face was tinged with green. “There’s just—” he turned and retched. “There’s so much blood.”</p><p>“Head wounds bleed a lot,” Katara said. “He’s fine.” She met Zuko’s gaze. “For now."</p><p>“It is a lot of blood,” the Avatar frowned, from a safe distance away. “Maybe you should heal him, Katara.”</p><p>“And maybe I should’ve finished the job in the North Pole. Are you blind, Aang?”</p><p>There was a pregnant pause, as though everyone collectively expected something that never came. </p><p>Toph continued to stare at the ground, silent.</p><p>“Katara,” the Avatar said.</p><p>Katara sighed loudly. “Fine.” She flicked open her water flask and withdrew a sphere of water. As she approached Zuko, the water coated her hands and began to pulse with a slight, blue glow. “Hold still,” she ordered. </p><p>Her hands came towards the left side of his face, fingers spread wide.</p><p>Zuko threw up his arms. “<em>Don’t touch me</em>!” His shout echoed around the canyon. He cracked his eyes open to see Katara staring at him.</p><p>She pulled back and rolled her eyes. “You heard the prince, he doesn’t want to be healed. Toph,” her voice thawed, “do you want me to take you somewhere?”</p><p>“No. I’m fine here.” Toph folded her arms across her chest.</p><p>Her declaration was followed by several beats of strained silence.</p><p>Zuko heard Sokka let out a groan. “Okay,” Sokka said, “this isn’t working. Katara, Aang, I need you to go find Teo and The Duke. Make sure they’re okay. Haru, I need you here. Toph—” he broke off with a sigh. “Toph, you can stay here, I guess. Can I get you anything?”</p><p>“Unless you can somehow bring my sight back, no. You can’t.”</p><p>Zuko flinched. “Toph,” he tried again, but Sokka held up his club.</p><p>“Don’t even try it, sootmaker.”</p><p>Katara pushed off from the pillar. As she walked towards the inner temple, she said over her shoulder, “If he makes a wrong move, hit him with a rock again, Haru.”</p><p>The Avatar followed after her, looking vaguely ill.</p><p>“Or,” Sokka said, glaring down at Zuko, “my boomerang. I don’t know what you were trying to accomplish with your little stunt, but consider it <em> not </em> accomplished.”</p><p>“I wasn’t trying to accomplish anything,” Zuko said, probing at his temple. </p><p>Haru retched again, and Sokka sighed loudly. “Here.” He tossed Zuko his waterskin. “Wash yourself off so Haru stops being such a manchild. And no funny business.”</p><p>Zuko caught the flask and wet the hem of his tunic. He dabbed at his temple until it felt reasonably clean, then rinsed away the blood from his tunic. “Thank you,” he said, handing Sokka back his flask.</p><p>“Whatever.” A pause. “What’s the 41st division.”</p><p>Zuko's inner flame stuttered. "Where did you hear that."</p><p>"Haru said you mentioned the 41st when you went down. What is it."</p><p>“Sokka,” Haru began, but Sokka held up a hand.</p><p>“You know what, no. He doesn’t need to be coddled." Sokka crouched down. “What," he said, leaning in, "is the 41st.”</p><p>Zuko looked away. "Was."</p><p>“What’s that supposed to mean?”</p><p>“It’s—It doesn’t matter. The 41st division has been dead for three years now. It doesn’t concern you.”</p><p>“So, what?” Sokka snorted. “Is that it? You got worked up over some random dead soldiers because The Duke called them a <em> name</em>?”</p><p>“They,” Zuko said through gritted teeth, “aren’t <em> random, dead </em> soldiers. I wouldn’t expect you to understand, <em> Water Tribe</em>.”</p><p>“You can say <em> Water Tribe </em> all you want in your jerk tone, but at least our warriors aren’t <em> children.</em>”</p><p>“What’s <em> that </em> supposed to mean?”</p><p>Sokka pulled back and stood. “When’s the last time you walked around a Fire Nation town? You seen the age on those recruitment posters? Thirteen. But I guess that’s below a prince to know, huh.”</p><p>“The recruitment age is sixteen,” Zuko said, more to himself than anyone else. Sixteen was <em>tantō no toshi</em>: the year of the blade, it was—</p><p>“Uh, it’s definitely not. Some prince you are."</p><p>“I would never let that happen.”</p><p>“Really? ‘Cause it’s happening right now. Got anything to say to that?”</p><p>Zuko shook his head. He tried to imagine it: rows upon rows upon rows of crimson-clad soldiers, barely waist-high, marching forward with tantō blades by their sides. The flames they summoned were yellow.</p><p>He said nothing.</p><p>“Yeah, that’s what I thought,<em> Fire Nation</em>.”</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>…</b>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Sokka combed out his wolf tail as camp settled down for the night. Aang was burrowing into Appa's side. His hands were curled around his staff. Katara lay close by, clutching her necklace. Teo, The Duke, and Haru were spread out near the remains of the fire, and Toph had flopped underneath a stone tent, her hands fanned over the stone floor of the temple.</p><p>When the sounds of sleep filled the temple, Sokka lay back onto his bedroll. The temple's ceiling yawned above him, etched with swirls of wind and lines of ancient script. He traced the designs until, at last, he drifted asleep, boomerang in hand.</p><p>
  <em> The ship sliced through the waters like a blackfish. White-capped waves frothed against its metal hull, and a pillar of smoke poured from its stacks, cutting a streak of black across the sky.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Sokka stood his ground. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> He was alone despite the story his appearance told: warpaint was streaked across his cheeks, and wolf's teeth lined his vision. Still, he raised his club as the ship roared closer, its bow aimed at the heart of the ice wall. It seemed to rise out of the water. It seemed to block out the sun. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Sokka widened his stance and braced for impact. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> With a thunderous crack, the ship plowed into the wall. The ground beneath Sokka shattered away. Wind tore at his face, and splinters of ice bit into his skin as he fell, but he hit the ground rolling. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> When the snow was solid beneath him, Sokka climbed to his feet. He watched with narrow eyes as men in jagged, crimson armor marched from the ship. Then, the leader disembarked. He even looked like a blackfish: pale skin, ink-black hair.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> A warrior's cry tore from Sokka's throat as he surged forward, club above his head. It was promptly ripped from his fingers, and he found himself face-first in the snow. With a growl, Sokka hauled himself to his feet. Again, he charged the Fire Nation soldiers. Again, he was defeated.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> But surrender was not the way of water. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Sokka threw his hand into the air. "Uvani!" In response, a spear smacked into his palm, and he curled his fingers around it. He aimed the point at the leader and charged, ice cracking beneath his boots with the force of his attack.</em>
</p><p>
  <em> A beat later, he found himself sprawled in the snow. The pieces of his spear littered the ground around him. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Above, soot fell silently from the sky.</em>
</p><p>Sokka awoke with a harsh breath. He heaved himself onto his elbows and flicked his gaze around camp, his pulse staggering within his chest. </p><p>Katara had thrown off her furs and rolled over to face Aang. Aang had done the same: his staff lay forgotten on the temple floor. Toph slept beneath her tent, feet propped on her traveling bag. Teo and Haru slumbered peacefully, and the Duke was tucked between the two, snoring away.</p><p>Sokka fell back onto his bedroll. A sheen of sweat covered his face and chest, and the edge of his boomerang dug into the flesh of his palm. "Sanna's fingers," he breathed. He scrubbed a hand down his face, pulling at the skin beneath his eyes. That dream hadn't surfaced in ages. Then again, a lot had happened since he'd left his tribe. <em> Like the invasion</em>, his mind supplied, <em> like Toph’s feet</em>. </p><p>Sokka flung his furs away. Moving silently but swiftly, he put on his boots and gathered his hair into a wolf tail, cinching the band tight. The pull on his scalp woke him further: the night seemed clearer, sharper. Before he left, he slung his scabbard across his back, and, after a second thought, he grabbed Zuko's scabbard.</p><p>Sokka stuck a piece of jerky into his mouth as he crept away from camp. The night air was damp against his skin, and heavy with the scent of moss and dew. Chewing quietly, he made his way across the temple. He stole a glance at Zuko as he passed. The sootmaker’s hands were still bound to the earth, and his chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm. </p><p>Sokka continued on until he reached the edge of the pagoda. He set Zuko's scabbard on a fallen pillar and looked out across the canyon. Mist blanketed the cliffside, winding around the pagodas in swirls of white. A half-moon peered over the far cliff.</p><p>"Hey, Yue," Sokka murmured, his voice catching in the back of his throat. "How're things looking up there?"</p><p>The half-moon did not reply.</p><p>"Yeah, that's what I thought."</p><p>Sokka unsheathed his sword and angled the blade towards the ground. For several beats, he held the position, balancing the hilt against his palm, allowing himself the time to grow used to his new limb. Then, with a grunt, he lept backwards and blocked a blow from an imaginary opponent.</p><p>As the moon moved across the sky, Sokka re-lived his battle with Master Piandao. The steps were familiar; they were a comfort: this was something he could do, to make up for someone he couldn’t be.</p><p>When his skin had dampened and his breath had quickened, Sokka bowed to his imaginary opponent and sheathed his sword. He paused to drink from his waterskin, then, swiping a hand across his chin, he approached Zuko’s scabbard.</p><p>The scabbard was wooden, and it was bathed in a dark, glass-like lacquer. Sokka smoothed his hands along the length of it until he reached the scabbard's end. Then, he turned his attention to the swords. A silk cloth hung from one of the handles, and he rubbed it between his fingers. The texture was gauzy, almost weightless, against his skin. It had no designs, other than a thin border of gold that ran along the cloth's edge. Finally, Sokka grasped the dao’s handles and pulled. They slid free with a silvery <em> tang</em>. His breath stuttered within his chest as he took them in. The blades reminded him of the tundra: cold and deadly, shining like ice under the moonlight.</p><p>"<em>What </em>are you doing.”</p><p>With a shout, Sokka whipped around. He lowered the swords when he caught sight of Zuko. The sootmaker was watching him from several spear-lengths away. His head was craned over his shoulder so he could see, and his face was darkened by shadows, but his pale skin betrayed the strained chords of his neck, the sour twist of his mouth.</p><p>"I did <em> not </em> give you permission to touch my dao,” Zuko continued in a voice like flint. “Put them down. Agni,” he muttered quietly, “Master Piandao would be ashamed to see his work touched so carelessly."</p><p>Sokka readjusted his grip on the dao. His palms were slick around the handles. "Yeah, well, Master Piandao said if I kept training, I'd be even greater than him, so." </p><p>"You've met—nevermind, of course you have." Zuko let out a breath. "Well, if you’ve trained with Master Piandao, you know that touching another man's swords is an affront. Put them down."</p><p>"No, I don't think I will. Also, you’re not a man.”</p><p>Sokka lunged forward and crossed the blades in front of his face, then sprang back and returned to his original stance. The dao weighed his arms down on either side, which made his chest feel exposed. “Weird,” he muttered, rolling his shoulders. He tried a spin, but his hands came too close together, and the dao struck one another with a <em> clang</em>. </p><p>A strangled sound tore from Zuko's throat. Sparks like fireflies crackled into the air, briefly illuminating Zuko’s face in a yellow glow. They winked out as soon as they had appeared, but Sokka raised the dao and shifted to the balls of his feet.</p><p>Zuko let out a sigh. “I’m not going to—that was—<em>ugh</em>. Look, if you're going to mess with <em> my </em>dao, then do it right. You're unbalanced."</p><p>"What, you think if you give me sword tips we'll all just magically welcome you into the group? It doesn't work like that. Not after today.”</p><p>He expected Zuko to hiss and spit at the barb, but the sootmaker did neither. Instead, he looked away, and the line of his shoulders tensed.</p><p>“... I take full responsibility for today. I shouldn’t have lost control. For that, and the damage I caused, I apologize. I’ll make it up to your group, I just need a chance.”</p><p>“A chance?” Sokka bit out. “You can’t be serious. You’ve had <em> several</em>. If you wanted to help, you should've been there on the day of the invasion. Then maybe…” He swallowed. “Then maybe, all of this would be over by now."</p><p>"But it's not. And the Avatar needs to learn firebending."</p><p>"His name is <em> Aang</em>."</p><p>"<em>Aang </em> needs to learn firebending.”</p><p>“Not from you.”</p><p>“Then from <em> who</em>. Logic-wise, I’m—”</p><p>“I don’t care!” Sokka flung the dao aside. Steel clashed against stone with a violent <em> clang</em>. Then his boomerang was in his hand, and his feet were striding towards Zuko with every word. “You attacked my tribe. You attacked us everywhere we went, and you’re <em> still </em> attacking us. If I was half the warrior my dad is—or was, I don’t even know right now, I’d—” </p><p>He cut himself off, chest heaving.</p><p>After several heartbeats, Sokka spoke again, his voice quiet. “On the day of the invasion, my dad taught me something. He said, when you sail on a ship of wood, you don't take Fire Nation prisoners. I've tried my best to use everything he’s taught me so far.”</p><p>Zuko stared up at him. “I’m offering you a better ship."</p><p>Sokka let out a bark of laughter. "Yeah, sure.” He turned away and sheathed his boomerang. “Just like the rest of the Fire Nation, right? Your soldiers brought war to my tribe in a big, metal boat and called it advancement. My plans may fail, but I know we need fire to win the war. It's just not gonna be from you." </p><p>“We're running out of <em> time</em>."</p><p>“We?” Sokka said over his shoulder, sheathing Zuko’s dao. “There is no <em> we. </em> That over there? That's my group. I’ve fought with them, and they’ve almost died for me, so that makes them mine. And then there’s <em> you</em>. You've done nothing to show us that you're on our side. Just." He rubbed a hand over the back of his head, then shook his head. "Whatever."</p><p>With that, Sokka stalked back to camp. He spent the rest of the night tracking Yue's path across the sky, the edge of his boomerang digging into his palm.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hello! Yes! Thank you for reading! Please leave a comment! A couple things:</p><p>So as I explained last chapter, maki is a synonym for fuel or firewood. It’s also the kanji for kindling, or, rather, the kanji for maki has been repurposed for kindling, seeing as the only other option is the transliteration of kindling, which is written in katakana as kindoringu. Instead of just using maki, however, I wanted to go a bit further. The suffix “-ko” (子) is often added to names. That specific kanji, pronounced ko, means child. Makinoko (pl. makinokodomo) thus literally means “kindling child.” However, the colloquial meaning is, in fact, still kindling, but the -ko adds a sort of diminutive, mocking element to the moniker. I don’t have the time to create an entire language for the fire nation, which would blend Thai, Japanese, and maybe Ainu elements, so here, have some Japanese instead. A reminder that I did not come up with the concept of “kindling” as a name. MuffinLance did. Please read their works bc oml I absolutely go feral with every update. Their skill with worldbuilding, characterization, and development is insane.</p><p> </p><p>Thank you for your input about the Zukka question. When I first started this story, it was far more lighthearted and barebones than it currently is. The tones and themes I want to convey have gotten more serious, and I feel as though a non-canon romance would subtract from this, especially when it comes to Zuko’s position. Things will stay gen.</p><p>A big thank you to Ian on the Discord. Wow, long A/N. Once again, thanks for the response. My view towards anything I write has always been "fine, but not good enough," so your comments are always a shock to me. Thank you for reading.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. icarus</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>A HUGE shoutout to two people:</p><p>First, ao3 user “glitterghostlies.” User glitterghostlies took the time to educate me on elements of Thai culture that I will for sure be using in this fic and in others—with credit, of course. I fully appreciate the time they spent to tell me about their personal experiences. The level of detail they provided was fantastic, and they gave me a ton of inspiration for Fire Nation culture. </p><p>Secondly, another ao3 user, “christine (tiny_flower),” said the kindest things in their comments that had me honest-to-god blushing. Wow. I treasure each and every comment I recieve, and I can’t pin all of them on my wall, but I might’ve printed out a few and stuck ‘em on there. Thank you for reading!</p><p>Enjoy this chapter!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Hold still.”</p><p>Toph’s first impulse was to wiggle her toes, but she stilled as Katara shifted closer. The air around her feet cooled, and, a beat later, water enveloped the sole of her right foot. She bit back a hiss; the water was cold, and it made her skin tingle like hundreds of pricks from a seamstress’s pins.</p><p>After several seconds, Toph uncurled her fists with a sigh. "That's the good stuff," she said, leaning back onto her palms.</p><p>"I just wish I had some of that spirit water." Katara's voice was muffled. Toph guessed she had trapped her lower lip beneath her teeth; she had her healing face on, as Sokka liked to say. “It's not going to scar, I don't think, but I'm not an expert."</p><p>"Well, it <em>feels</em> pretty good."</p><p>Katara hummed and moved onto Toph's left foot. “On a scale of a snow-gnat sting to a polar-dog bite, how would you rate your pain?"</p><p>Toph shot a blank look in Katara’s direction. “I don’t know what any of those things feel like.”</p><p>“Oh. Right.” A pause. “Then on a scale of one to ten.”</p><p>“Does it matter? You can't do anything about it.”</p><p>“Just tell me, Toph.”</p><p>“Ugh, fine. A three, maybe?”</p><p>“So a five. When Sokka goes out today I’ll ask him to look for some—oh, what did Aang call it?” She clicked her tongue. “Oh! Poppy-fern. That’s it.”</p><p>Toph snorted. "Because he's been <em>so</em> good at bringing home the bacon lately."</p><p>"Don't be rude. He's just—" Katara leaned forward, and the ends of her hair tickled against Toph's shins. "He's just been having a hard time," she whispered.</p><p>"Everyone's been having a hard time. Including me, but you don't see me dicking around in the woods for a half a day."</p><p>"You can't walk," Katara pointed out, and Toph rolled her eyes.</p><p>"That's not the point. Between him, Aang, and Zuko, I'm choking on all the male angst."</p><p>"Aang is <em>not</em> brooding."</p><p>"Look me in the eye and say that again." Toph tilted her head. "Are you looking me in the eye? Or are you looking at my feet? I can't tell because, y'know."</p><p>"Well... I might've caught Aang staring at the lotus pond the other day, and I don't think he was meditating."</p><p>"Brooding," Toph nodded sagely. "Luckily, I know the cure for that: Zuko."</p><p>Katara said nothing.</p><p>"I'm guessing from the silence that you're staring at me with a shocked and/or angry expression. Indignance, perhaps?" Toph sniffed the air. "Yeah, I smell indignance."</p><p>"You can't smell indignance," Katara snapped, indignantly. "He burned you, Toph. I don't see why you insist on defending him."</p><p>"Because it was an <em>accident.</em> He was freaking out, and I got too close."</p><p>"He can’t afford to freak out. If that’s what you want to call it.”</p><p>"You're telling me you've never cracked some ice or created a wave when you get pissed? Because that’s not how Sokka tells it. And what was Aang’s sandstorm in the desert? Not a display of grief and fear, that’s for sure." Katara let out a harsh sigh, which Toph took great pleasure in mocking. “Face it, sweetness. We all have our moments.”</p><p>"It's different when it's fire. It's different when he's angry all the time. It's different when it's<em> him."</em></p><p>"Ugh." Toph swung her feet off Katara's lap and plunged them into the fountain below. "This is the part where you storm away because I can't."</p><p>"Fine." There was a swish of cloth and scuff of boots on stone as Katara stood. "I'm taking Aang, Teo, and The Duke to the reflection pool. Stay here and soak your feet, and ask Haru if you need anything. And <em>don't,"</em> she added sharply, "go near Zuko. You’re not the only one who got hurt, you know.”</p><p>Toph waved a hand in Katara's general direction. "Whatever. I’ll be fine here, stuck in one spot, bored, alone, and on my<em> best behavior."</em></p><p>With a growl of frustration, Katara stomped away, and Toph turned back to the fountain. She placed her elbows onto her knees and leaned forward, resting her chin between her fists. Small waves lapped at her ankles, and the fountain's spray speckled her skin with droplets of water. Far off, humming-toads croaked, joined by the sound of rushing water. It would’ve been nice, if it weren’t for the knot of guilt in her stomach. It was a foreign feeling: usually, people wronged her, not the other way around. But Zuko had been earnest from the start, and they hadn’t believed him then. Now, he had a better chance of stealing Koh's face than teaching Aang to firebend, and it was partially her fault.</p><p>Toph curled her arms around herself at the memory. The earth had hidden nothing; she had felt, with horrible clarity, the way Zuko’s heartbeat had stuttered, the way he’d struggled against the temple floor, tearing at the stone that pinned him there with all his strength. It had made sense to release him. It had made less sense to run forward, but by the time she'd realized that, her feet were on fire.</p><p>Three days later, her feet still throbbed, and the mood around camp had worsened. It was like the air before a storm: thick and muggy with rising tension. Somehow, it was up to her to set things right.</p><p>“Hey."</p><p><em>“What,”</em> she snapped to disguise her unease at being snuck up on.</p><p>“Sorry if I startled you,” Haru said. He settled next to her and dipped his feet into the fountain, sending ripples across the surface. “I was just wondering if I could get you anything, or if you were bored. Sitting here isn’t much fun.”</p><p>Toph crossed her arms. "It's not, but I’m sure Twinkletoes is thrilled to be free of bending practice.”</p><p>"Ah." Haru cleared his throat. “So… sorry if this is an uncomfortable question, and you don’t have to answer it, and I—”</p><p>“Are you an earthbender or not? Just ask it."</p><p>“Um, well, can you not bend at all with your feet like… that? Like, I know you need a strong root to bend, that was one of the first things I learned, but… Yeah."</p><p>“I can bend some,” Toph said after a moment. “But that doesn’t do me much good because I can’t see, and I never learned to use my hands like I do my feet. I can sense some vibrations, but,” she dropped her hands to the fountain wall and spread her fingers across the stone, “it’s not the same. It’s… fuzzy.”</p><p>“That must suck. It’s not the same, but before Katara freed my village, I had to hide my bending. I still bent, and that was how the others found me, but it was always in secret. My mom always said my life would've been easier if I wasn’t a bender, so I wouldn’t know the pain of holding back.”</p><p>“At least your village is free now, right?"</p><p>“Yeah, but what good did that do in the long run?” Haru let out a sigh. “If we don't win the war, the Fire Nation’ll come back, and we’ll be right back where we started, on those prison rigs.” A shudder ran through him. “They’re out on the sea, you know? And completely made of metal. It's terrible, to be separated from your element like that."</p><p>“Metal, huh?” Toph turned to him and grinned. “It's your lucky day. Want to learn how to metalbend?”</p><p>“To <em>what?”</em></p><p>Toph’s grin grew wider. “Get me my bag.”</p><p>Haru scrambled to heave himself over the side of the fountain, splashing Toph in the process. “Sorry,” he called over his shoulder. The sound of wet feet on stone faded, then returned. “Here.”</p><p>He guided Toph’s hands to the bag, and she rooted around until she closed her fist around a scrap of steel. She thrust it into the air.</p><p>“Look closely. You might think this is steel, right?”</p><p>“Isn’t it?”</p><p>"Wrong!" Toph barked. "It’s processed earth. It’s just been refined and purified. Watch." She flattened her other hand into a blade and chopped it through the air in a series of rigid, controlled motions. She felt the steel contort accordingly. “See? It’s all earth. You’ve got to look for it, search it out, then make it your bitch.”</p><p>"Make it my... bitch?"</p><p>"What did I just say?"</p><p>By the end of the lesson, Haru could sense, but not command, the steel.</p><p>"I think I need a break," he panted. "Thank you for teaching me." He shifted forward in the way Toph had long since learned to recognize as a bow, then said: <em>“Wǒ jiàng xiàng yīng de yídòng fǎmǎ.”</em> The phrase was awkward in his mouth, unpracticed. “Seriously, Toph,” he added. “I’ll make it up to you.”</p><p>For several beats, Toph did nothing but blink. It was jarring to hear that phrase after so many months of travel. It brought back memories of long-winded etiquette lessons, of unctuous advisors eager to gain her favor; back at the Beifong Estate, it wasn’t uncommon to hear that phrase upwards of twenty times a day.</p><p>“Ugh.” Toph shook her head. “You don’t have to be so formal. You owe me nothing. It was one friend to another.”</p><p>“But… you’re a Beifong, right?”</p><p>“Wrong. I’m <em>the</em> Beifong. But I personally have no need to keep track of who owes my family what. If I want something, I’ll get it. Probably by stealing.”</p><p>“Yeah,” Haru shifted awkwardly, “but <em>everyone</em> owes the Beifongs something. I think my mother’s friend owes your second cousin on your father’s side a basket of ostrich-horse eggs.”</p><p>Toph waved a hand. “Consider it resolved. I ran away from home to experience real Děng Chèng, not the formal dumb version of it.”</p><p><em>“Oh.”</em> She felt Haru draw back. “Oma and Shu, I’m so sorry. I just assumed—because you’re a Beifong, I thought you—”</p><p>Toph shushed him by mashing her hand into his nose. Close enough. “Friends, remember? I did you a favor because I wanted to, not because I wanted to gain something, got it?” At Haru’s affirmation, she continued. “And going off that, I need a favor. Bring me a scroll from Zuko’s bag, and don’t tell Katara anything that happens in the next few hours.”</p><p>“Um, okay?”</p><p>A few minutes later, Haru was carrying her towards Zuko. His heartbeat was steady against her back, so she knew he was telling the truth when he whispered,</p><p>“I think this is a bad idea.”</p><p>Toph crossed her arms. “Bad because of Katara, or bad because of him? Do you really think he did it on purpose?”</p><p>“I think,” Haru said, then paused. “I think you’re right, but that doesn’t mean I trust him. But,” he added as Toph opened her mouth, “I didn’t trust him even when I was talking to him with Teo and Duke. That doesn’t mean I don’t think he should help Aang learn to firebend. Still, it’s not up to me.”</p><p>“Tell Katara you think he should join.”</p><p>“Katara is… threatening.”</p><p>Toph showed him all her teeth. “And I’m not?”</p><p>“Oh, look, we’re here.” Haru put Toph down in front of Zuko, and there were a few seconds of silence as the two presumably stared at each other.</p><p>Haru cleared his throat. “Um, I’m sorry I hit you with a rock.”</p><p>“I’ve had worse,” Zuko said.</p><p>“Like when your ship was blown up by pirates,” Toph put in.</p><p>“Like when my ship was blown up by pirates,” Zuko agreed. “And I’m sorry I… shot fire in your direction.”</p><p>Before either of them could say anything else, Toph clapped her hands. “Haru, you can go now. Sparky,” she released his hands and thrust the scroll forward, “I’m bored. Read to me.”</p><p>“What.”</p><p>Toph shoved the scroll forward again and ended up mashing it into his face. “Read. It. To. Me.”</p><p>“Uh, okay?” He took the scroll from her, then proceeded to do nothing.</p><p>Toph shot a glare in his general direction. "I'm waiting."</p><p>"Right." After another beat of hesitance, he unfurled the scroll and cleared his throat. “Long ago, when Pele-san lay dormant and phoenixes took to the skies, the Dragon Emperor reigned..."</p><p>As Zuko spoke, Toph sprawled across the temple floor. With her hands clasped across her stomach, and the soles of her feet free to the air, she let Zuko's voice wash over her. She liked his voice. It was low and raspy: the scrape of spark rocks and subsequent ribbon of smoke. He had an accent, too, (as did everyone in the group), hardening his r's and clipping his vowels, sharp and clean.</p><p>To many, it came as a surprise that Toph enjoyed plays, but xiqu troupes were always eager to gain favor from the Beifongs. Whenever her family procured private seats, she was dragged along. After years of this, she learned to recognize the patterns in both the stories and roles, the <em>sheng,</em> the <em>dan,</em> the <em>jing,</em> the<em> chou.</em> Toph found herself drawn to the stylized speech, distinct in each role, and the music. There was no need for an aide to offer her an explanation; she understood the story on her own.</p><p><em>Love Amongst the Dragons</em> wasn't xiqu, but she liked it all the same. For the first few lines, Zuko was timid, hesitant, stumbling over lines, but soon enough he seemed to forget Toph entirely and spoke as though he'd rehearsed every line several times over. His voice dropped to a hoarse whisper during the intense parts, and grew thick during the emotional parts. At times, she wondered if he was even reading off the scroll.</p><p>"... and the Dragon Emperor and Empress reigned for ten thousand years, bound by a love so bright it rivaled the rays of Agni Himself. End."</p><p>After several seconds of silence, Zuko seemed to come back to himself, and the air flushed with heat. "Spirits," he muttered, mortified. "I can't believe I just—"</p><p>Toph propped herself onto her elbows and aimed a glare in his direction. "Hey. Stop that."</p><p>"Okay.” He swallowed audibly. “Uh, I want to—Is it okay if I say something?”</p><p>"Oh, is it mushy emotion time? Sure. Go ahead."</p><p>Zuko drew in a breath. “I’m sorry," he said on the exhale. "Toph, I’m so sorry. Agni, I—I can't even begin to apologize for what I did to you. I have no excuse. I shouldn't have lost control. If you're mad at me, or if you don't want to hear what I have to say, I understand."</p><p>He fell silent. Toph could feel the tension emanating from his skin, and she reached out, blindly, to clip his shoulder. She gave him a little pat, then withdrew her hand. "It's okay."</p><p>“What."</p><p>“This friendship doesn't bode well if you're gonna make me repeat things twice. It's okay, Sparky. Why do you think I'm over here?"</p><p>"You said you were bored."</p><p>Toph scrubbed a hand down her face. "Oma and Shu. Do I need to spell it out for you? I’m pissed that I can’t see, but I’m not pissed at <em>you.”</em></p><p>“Okay, but… <em>Why?”</em></p><p>“Have you ever heard of Děng Chèng?”</p><p>“No?” Zuko replied, sounding thoroughly confused by the change in topic. “What does this have to do with the, uh. The situation?”</p><p>Toph snorted. “You’ll see.”</p><p>"Okay?"</p><p>Toph grinned to herself. Děng Chèng was one of her favorite things about the Earth Kingdom. Most people she'd met had grown up with some form of Děng Chèng, so introducing it to someone was a rare opportunity. Of course, there was a challenge in explaining such an ingrained part of her culture to a foreigner, but Zuko had traveled the Earth Kingdom; this made things a lot easier.</p><p>Toph jabbed a finger in Zuko's general direction. "The first time you stepped foot in an Earth Kingdom village, it felt different than any place you’ve been before. Am I right, or am I right?"</p><p>She waited patiently as Zuko gathered his thoughts.</p><p>"Well," he said after a few minutes, "the first village we stayed at was called Likeng, I think. Uncle said the energy felt... not restless, but ever-changing. Like a river, almost. I was mad when he said we could rest there, and I said I didn't feel anything, but..." Embarrassment crept into his voice. "I did. It felt—welcoming."</p><p>Toph was nodding even before he'd finished speaking. “Yeah, that’s what Děng Chèng feels like. And in those villages, people gave you food and shelter even though they were suffering, and they asked for nothing in return. Am I right or am I right?"</p><p>“Uncle always tried to give away whatever coin we had, but it was like there was a taboo against paying them back."</p><p>Toph's grin grew wider: she'd never been prouder to be an Earth Kingdom citizen. <em>“That’s</em> Děng Chèng. It's how people in the Earth Kingdom are—most of them, at least."</p><p>"So... Děng Chèng is being nice to people?"</p><p>"Eh," Toph waved her hand, "you're not wrong, but you could be more right. Think of it like this: everyone's got a <em>děng chèng—</em>a scale. It’s like your chi. You can’t see it, but it’s there. You've got a scale, I've got a scale, even your asshole of a dad has one. Got it?"</p><p>"Um, I think so?"</p><p>"Good. So, Děng Chèng is a way of life that connects your scale to everyone else's. It's a belief that, as you go through life, your actions tip your scale and the scales of everyone you interact with. That's how you live your life, by tipping scales. But—and here's the important part, so listen up—you're not supposed to think about it. You shouldn't be trying to tip your scale intentionally."</p><p>Toph was sitting up now, and facing Zuko. She seldom talked with her hands, but Děng Chèng was an aspect of her culture she held close to her heart.</p><p>"The motivation behind your actions should never be about moving your scale," Toph continued. "It's supposed to be unconscious: you live your life, and your scale tips accordingly. A person could travel through the entirety of the Earth Kingdom and never hear the words<em> děng chèng,</em> but experience it every day. That's what you did, and<em> that,"</em> she finished, "was Děng Chèng."</p><p>"I think I get it." There was a smile in Zuko's voice. "It sounds like something Uncle would like a lot, and not something you'd really be into." The air flared with heat. "Not that you're not—I mean—you seem really passionate about it, which is weird. I mean—"</p><p>"You're not wrong." Toph sat back onto her palms. "But where I grew up, Děng Chèng wasn't like the way I just explained to you."</p><p>She recalled long hours in the main library while a hired tutor droned on about who owed what to the Beifong family. The Beifong's wealth and reach were built on debt, with the scales tipped in the Beifong's favor. Such was the way of business in the upper echelons of the Earth Kingdom, in which Děng Chèng was a way to gain power, and keeping track of debt was how one preserved both societal and monetary status. It was exhausting, the way Děng Chèng worked among the nobility. Every interaction, every word, every gift, was treated as a way to shift the scales to one's advantage.</p><p>"The Děng Chèng I grew up with isn't Děng Chèng," Toph summarized. "I didn't experience <em>real</em> Děng Chèng until I started going to the Earth Rumbles."</p><p>She explained how it had felt, attending a Rumble for the first time. There was a distinct energy that flowed throughout the crowd, within the ground, and into her feet. Scales tipped and straightened unconsciously, a counter-culture to the way she'd been raised to view Děng Chèng. It was exactly as Uncle Iroh had described: a river flowing without intent. And from the moment she'd stepped foot inside the Rumble, she'd joined that river. Not because people wanted something from her, not because people saw her as someone she wasn't, but because it was simply the way of things.</p><p>"That's true Děng Chèng," she said. "It's how things are—or should be."</p><p>"I see. So... you came over here to balance your scale with me?"</p><p>“Not balance," Toph corrected. "You don't want a balanced scale, 'cause that means it doesn't move. If everyone’s in balance, nothing gets done. Uncle Iroh said the energy felt like it was constantly moving, right? That's Děng Chèng. I'm here because I fucked up, not because I want to fix my scale." She shrugged. "My scale will follow."</p><p>"I've wronged the Avatar," Zuko said, almost to himself. "I need to balance my scale."</p><p>Toph rolled her eyes. "What did I just say? It's not about balance, and it's not supposed to be conscious. Your scale reflects your actions, not the other way around.” She knocked his shoulder lightly. “You just need to join the river. Got it?"</p><p>"I guess. I just..." A note of frustration slipped into his voice. "How am I supposed to do that?"</p><p>"That," Toph said grimly, "is the ten thousand-qián question."</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>...</strong>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The jungle was thick, wet, and violently green. Each swing of Sokka's machete showered him in droplets of dew, and moss swallowed his footsteps, darkening the leather of his boots with moisture. Every so often, he caught the scent of game—a heavy, wild musk that promised full stomachs—but his attempts at tracking failed miserably. Yue above, there was so much spirits-damned green, Sokka was drowning in it.</p><p>“I,” he growled to himself, “hate the jungle.”</p><p>Something wet and <em>probably</em> green smacked into the back of his head, and Sokka whipped around, machete raised. A frustrated sound escaped his teeth when he saw nothing. “This is going nowhere,” he grumped, scrubbing a hand down his face. His weapons—jaw-knife, boomerang, club, and sword—were useless in undergrowth this thick. He had to complete the nuqaq and darts soon, so he could at least spear fish.</p><p>"Sorry, boomerang," Sokka muttered. "Looks like we're both out of our element." He rolled his shoulders, threw out a breath, and began to hack away at the undergrowth again.</p><p>When the sun was at its zenith, he stumbled upon a break in the jungle: a path that ran perpendicular to the way he'd come. Sokka knelt and ran his fingers along the ground. It had been pounded flat by what appeared to be hooves, and the path itself was low, fraught with low-hanging vines and branches.</p><p>"Finally," Sokka muttered, straightening. As he stepped onto the path, a badger-frog lept in front of him. It let out a raspy croak, then hopped away into the undergrowth. Sokka eyed its glistening skin and grinned.</p><p>He hiked the path with his knees bent and his head turned to the side, left ear facing forward. Soon, a low, distant roar reached his ears, and the air seemed to shift. It smelled fresher, clearer, and there was an almost imperceptible dip in temperature. His suspicions were confirmed when he reached a break in the trees.</p><p>A river. It was several spear-lengths wide and looked to be about collar-bone deep at its center. Sunlight filtered through the trees above, setting the surface alight with flickering, golden sparkles.</p><p>Sokka whooped in excitement and tore towards the river. He skidded to a stop by the shore, dropped to his knees, and plunged his hands into the water. A yelp escaped his lips at the temperature, but his grin remained. It made sense, he thought, waving his finger-tips at an inquisitive group of minnow-lizards. Of course an animal path led to a water source. A large one at that, which probably saw visitors multiple times a day.</p><p>An idea struck.</p><p>The plan was simple and barely needed a strategy. It involved wading across the river, selecting a hiding spot at the edge of the jungle, and waiting. Here, the river looked just wide enough for his boomerang to arc around, and the water's edge faded into a wide stretch of mud and pebbles that shifted underfoot. All he had to do was stay alert and hope the downwind stayed constant.</p><p>Soon, his scalp prickled with sweat, and his necklace grew warm against the hollow of his throat. Overhead, birds flitted from tree to tree, letting out thin, high trills.</p><p>The animal appeared from the treeline in between one blink and the next. A set of antlers grew in jagged curves from its head, and when it stepped out of the woods, sunlight turned its russet fur to flames. Its ears twitched and swiveled at every sound as it approached the water's edge.</p><p>Sokka inched his hand towards his boomerang. He moved only when the animal bent its head to drink, a walrus-hunting technique he'd learned but never had the chance to practice; walrus-hunting was a two-man job.</p><p>Sokka curled two fingers around his boomerang. As he drew it back, the sounds of the jungle seemed to sharpen—the birds' song, the buzzing of gnats. He exhaled. Then, with a flick of his wrist, he threw his boomerang.</p><p>"C'mon, boomerang," Sokka murmured. He tracked its path as it sliced a wide, ovular arc through the air—and smashed into the undergrowth.</p><p>With a high-pitched bellow, the animal reared onto its hind legs. Another scream echoed from further down the river, and the animal charged into the jungle, kicking up a spray of pebbles in its wake.</p><p>The birds fell silent.</p><p>"Dammit!"</p><p>Sokka shot to his feet. He stalked across the river and into the jungle, following his boomerang's approximate path. "Why, boomerang?" he whined when he found it, lodged in the dirt and next to a patch of brilliantly red ferns.</p><p>Sokka sheathed his boomerang, then squinted at the ferns. They were about the size of his forearm, firecracker-red, and tipped with black dots. From Aang's description, they had to be poppy-ferns. He knelt and gathered a handful.</p><p>It was the least he could do for Toph, whose face twisted in pain whenever she thought no one was looking. On the other hand, when Toph <em>did</em> know someone was looking, she demanded to talk to Zuko. This was Katara's cue to put her foot down, and an argument usually ensued. It wasn't like Zuko had much to say anyways; he kept repeating the same thing over and over again to anyone who would listen: I'm sorry, I'm not your enemy anymore, I'm sorry, I want to help you, <em>I'm sorry.</em></p><p>Sokka grabbed another clump of poppy-ferns and yanked.</p><p>His initial hypothesis grew weaker with each passing day, that Zuko had been sent to capture Aang in the aftermath of the invasion. The facts refused to align:</p><p>For one, Zuko had approached the group almost immediately after they'd arrived at the air temple. If he'd been right on their tail, why hadn't he tried to capture Aang closer to the Fire Nation? And what in Sanna's braid was a prince doing with no transport and no back-up despite having such a clear lead? Strategically, it made no sense. And sure, maybe Zuko was intending to be stealthy, but he'd walked straight up to the group with no mask and empty hands, and he'd made no (discernible) moves to send a signal. Strategically, <em>that</em> made no sense. Either Zuko was an excellent liar—even more so than Azula—or he was telling the truth. If so, this would give Team Avatar an edge, a win they so desperately needed.</p><p>But still, Sokka thought, stuffing the last of the poppy-ferns into his rucksack, there were too many variables, and his lack of foresight had already injured one teammate.</p><p>He stood and slung his rucksack over his shoulder. Considering the angle of the sun and the poppy-ferns he’d collected, he should've returned to the air temple, but... Sokka glanced through the trees, towards the river. The sound of rushing water seemed to grow in volume.</p><p>Sokka found himself staring at the river as it passed by, flowing towards even ground, and somewhere, out to sea. His eyes fluttered closed, and he drew in a breath. He could almost taste it—the bite of cold at the back of his throat, the scent of salt on his tongue.</p><p>The sea was the life of his tribe. It was also the domain of Sanna, where she ruled over the supply of everything that swam within it. Whenever the warriors of his tribe remained empty-handed after many hunts, the tribe gathered to pay respects to Sanna. Men danced in the name of Sanna's father, and everyone prayed for her goodwill. Then, the tribe’s angakkuq was supposed to dive and braid Sanna's hair while repeating everyone's prayers. If Sanna took mercy on the tribe, she would release the animals from the bottom of the sea, and food would be plentiful.</p><p>But his tribe had been without an angakkuq for many years. Uvavnuk, their last angakkuq, had been killed in a raid. She hadn't yet taken an apprentice; the rituals and the special language of the angakkuit died with her. Sanna could be appeased from time to time by offerings—bits of meat and broken weapons, dropped into the sea—and by respecting seals, but Sokka had made an offering every full moon since Dad left, long nights spent at the shore, pleading with Sanna for fish. She had seldom answered.</p><p>Then again, Sokka thought, his eyes flying open, perhaps his prayers had worked: the sea had brought him and Katara to Aang. And, come to think of it, fish had always been more plentiful near the drift ice where Aang had been frozen.</p><p>"You've got to be shitting me," Sokka breathed, then immediately whipped around, expecting to see one of Dad's disapproving gazes. "Right." He looked back to the river. Before he knew what he was doing, he was stepping into the water and drawing his knife.</p><p>He waded until the water rose past his knees and the current threatened to send him under. He had no fresh meat, but he had jerky and his blood. The latter would show that he seriously needed another creature's inua in him. With luck, Sanna would be satisfied with the tribute, even if it was not from her domain.</p><p>Sokka ended up dropping the jerky into the river. He murmured an apology, a request for food, and a promise to treat any animals he caught with respect. Then, he poured half of his waterskin into the river. It was a symbolic gesture more than anything else; he was unlikely to kill a seal any time soon. Lastly, he sliced a thin line across the base of his fingers. The drops swirled into the water, red as red could be. They disappeared with the current, and he was left staring at the water... and a reflection that was not his.</p><p>Except, on second glance, it was his, but there were suet lines on his skin. Sokka hardly dared to breathe. His heart staggered within his chest as he looked to his fingers—markless. He jerked his head towards the water—markless. Nothing but smooth, brown skin.</p><p>A surge of grief punched his stomach from the inside out, and he doubled over at the force of it. For a brief, fleeting instant, the river ran with salt, then that, too, was whisked away by the current.</p><p>Sokka straightened. He let out a thick breath, forced his shoulders back, and drew his machete. The sun was low in the sky: it was time to head back to the temple, empty-handed once again.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>...</strong>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>"Hey."</p><p>Zuko raised his head to see the Water Tribe boy standing over him, and he bit back a grimace. Sokka had returned not too long ago and, at Toph's command, ferried her to somewhere within the air temple. This left Sokka, who'd evidently grown bored of glaring at Zuko from afar.</p><p>Sokka sat down and began to fiddle with what appeared to be a polished, oddly-shaped stick. "I have some questions about... things," he said, haltingly, "and you're going to answer them. Okay?"</p><p>"...Isn't that usually how interrogations work."</p><p>"Yes—I—shut up. Listen,” Sokka leaned forward and lowered his voice, "if someone was captured by the Fire Nation, where would they be taken?”</p><p>"It depends," Zuko began, then narrowed his eyes. Sokka's face was set in stone, but there was an inward draw to his brow that made him look almost pleading. "You're looking for someone," Zuko guessed.</p><p>“That's none of your business."</p><p>Zuko raised his brow at Sokka, but he let it go. "Fine."</p><p>Sokka scooted closer. His eyes were wide enough for Zuko to match their color to a memory, to his first few weeks of banishment. Zuko had felt as though he was drowning everywhere he looked: blue sky, blue water, blue future.</p><p>"Dude, I'm waiting."</p><p>"Oh, uh, yeah." Zuko let out a breath. "The Fire Nation usually keeps prisoners, from what I've heard. They're probably in a war camp, or a prison. Most are located in the northern islands, like the Boi—"</p><p>A sharp <em>pop</em> punched through the air, followed by several degrees of silence. Then, a boom shook the pagoda like a clap of concentrated thunder. Something hard hit the top of Zuko's head, and he glanced up to see pieces of stone crumbling from the ceiling.</p><p>"What in Koh’s schnozzle is Toph making Aang do?" Sokka huffed, brushing dust from his arms. "Anyways, what were you saying? A place called the what?"</p><p>"The Boil—"</p><p>A second <em>pop</em> and boom shook the ground, and a flock of humming-toads burst into the sky, croaking madly. Zuko met Sokka's gaze, and they shared a brief, terrible realization.</p><p>"I forgot to call off the assassin," Zuko said as Sokka swore:</p><p>"Tui and La, it's him!"</p><p>Sokka shot to his feet. "Forgot?" he spat, drawing his boomerang. "You've got to be—this was your plan all along, wasn't it? Have Combustion Man track you to us, then have him blow Aang off the side of a cliff?"</p><p>"That's not his—no! Do you really think I'd lead him here while I was like this?"</p><p>"I wouldn't put it past you," Sokka muttered, but he faltered. He took two steps towards the inner temple, then swore and whipped around to face to Zuko. "Weaknesses?"</p><p>"What."</p><p>"His weaknesses, man, come on!"</p><p>"Um—chi—uh, breath control—no, wait—hold on." Zuko screwed his eyes closed. "Chi flow!" he shouted, his eyes flying open. "You have to disrupt his chi flow so he can't—try his eyes!"</p><p>"Eyes, got it." Sokka gripped his boomerang and sprinted away.</p><p>"Wait—" Zuko wrestled with his bonds as another blast shook the temple. "You can't just leave me here!"</p><p>"Not a bender!" Sokka called over his shoulder, then he was gone.</p><p>A frustrated cry escaped Zuko's teeth, followed by a yellow flick of flame. "Hiring that assassin was the worst thing I've ever done!" he raged. Another boom shook the temple, and his hands seared with heat.</p><p>"For Agni's sake!" he snarled at the sky, "just let me prove myself!"</p><p>Without warning, his bonds disappeared into the temple floor. Zuko sprang to his feet—and nearly crashed to his knees. His legs tingled fiercely and throbbed in time with his pulse, but the sensation faded as he hobbled towards the edge of the pagoda.</p><p>"Agni above," he breathed as he caught sight of the scene below.</p><p>The Avatar and his friends were trapped on a lower pagoda. The assassin had managed to mount his attack from the platform above, through a section of the temple floor that had crumbled away. His cheeks were caving inward, his chest swelling, and sparks crackled around his third eye.</p><p>"Agni <em>above,"</em> Zuko hissed again.</p><p>He ran back a few paces, drew in a breath, and channeled what remained of the Blue Spirit. With a hoarse shout, he sprinted forward and hauled himself over the edge of the pagoda. For a beat, he thought he'd misjudged the jump—then he slammed into the assassin, knocking the blast off course. Behind him, the air bloomed with streaks of yellow and red, and a wave of heat snarled at the back of his neck.</p><p>Zuko rolled to his feet. "Stop!" he ordered the assassin. "I don’t want you hunting the Avatar anymore!"</p><p>"It's Zuko!" he heard the Avatar cry from below. "What's he doing?"</p><p>"That's my line," a distinctly Toph-like voice snarked in return.</p><p>“Do you hear me?" Zuko widened his stance. "I’m ordering you to stop! I'll—I'll pay you double to stop!”</p><p>Zuko dropped low as a ball of flame exploded from the assassin's lips, streaking past his shoulder in a whirlwind of heat. Zuko lashed out with a kick. A whip of flames trailed his heel, but a searing hand caught his ankle and flung him aside. The world flashed white before he slammed into the temple wall. A breathless shout escaped his lips, but he scrambled to his feet.</p><p>Before the assassin could attack again, a wave of water rose over the edge of the platform. It scattered into droplets, then transformed into a storm of icicles.</p><p>The assassin took refuge behind his metal limbs, and Zuko took the opening. He surged forward, slid to the ground, and used his momentum to push off his back. His legs sliced through the air, and a razor-whip of flame flared towards the assassin.</p><p>“That’s the move I want to learn!” he heard the Avatar call.</p><p>Before the assassin could recover, Zuko flipped to his feet and breathed forth a wave of dragon's breath. The assassin threw an explosion towards him in response, and it was too much.</p><p>His vision flashed orange, and his feet left the platform. He shot his hand out, clawing at the stone, and managed to grab hold of a root. It halted his fall with a jolt that threatened to pull his shoulder from its socket. Zuko bit down on the meat of his shoulder to muffle a shout.</p><p>More blasts thundered overhead, and the temple continued to shake. Stone crumbled away, stinging Zuko's face with bits of grit.</p><p>"Yeah, boomerang!" a cry sounded from above.</p><p>What followed was an explosion so massive it shook Zuko's teeth and left his ears ringing. With a mountainous crack, a section of the air temple plummeted towards the bottom of the canyon. Zuko buried his face in his shoulder as pieces of rubble rained against him. He managed to catch the flash of a metal arm against the sun, a shout of rage, then—</p><p>Silence.</p><p>For several degrees, Zuko clung to the root, heaving in breath after breath. An acrid, metallic smell hung in the air. It was the smell of the Summer Solstice, when Caldera's air turned hazy with soot from thousands of firecrackers.</p><p>With trembling arms, he grasped the root and began to climb towards the edge of the pagoda. When he reached it, he hoisted himself onto the platform and stood.</p><p>The Avatar and his friends faced him. A grin had spread across Toph's face, but the others looked considerably less pleased. Katara's hand was on her waterskin, and there was a deep furrow between Sokka's brows. His boomerang, however, was half-raised, which Zuko hoped was a good sign.</p><p>For several degrees, no one moved. Then, the Avatar handed his staff to Sokka and stepped forward.</p><p>“I can’t believe I’m saying this," he said, shifting from foot to foot, "but... thanks. You almost died for us. That was, um, pretty good. Not like, good that you almost died, but a good thing you did, which is good. So, I was wonder—"</p><p>“Hold on," Katara cut in. She strode to the front of the group and whipped around to face them. "What's going on here? Are we forgetting that Zuko hired Combustion Man? This could all be a ruse."</p><p>"You’ve got to be kidding me," Zuko said tightly, then winced at the scrape of his voice. The breath of fire never took this much out of him: it must've been the altitude. He stepped forward but kept his hands low, palms facing the group.</p><p>"Listen," he said, his voice echoing throughout the pagoda. "I know I haven't explained myself very well, but I still stand by everything I've said. I know I'm late, and I know there's nothing I do to take away the hurt I've caused, but that doesn't mean I can't help you end this war." He turned to the Avatar. "Let me teach you. Fire can be dangerous and wild—I've proved that more than enough. As a firebender, I need to control my flames so I don't hurt others unintentionally. It would honor me if you would learn along with me."</p><p>The Avatar, too, stepped forward. "When I first learned fire," he said, then paused, a pained grimace flashing across his face. It lingered for a beat before his features relaxed, and he met Zuko's gaze with resolve. "When I first tried to bend fire, I burned Katara. After that, I never wanted to firebend again. But I think you are supposed to be my teacher. It would honor <em>me</em> to learn along with you. <em>But,"</em> he added as Zuko opened his mouth, "I have to ask my friends if they’re okay with you being here. Sokka?"</p><p>Sokka ballooned his cheeks, then let out a breath. "Look, I still don't trust him, but... I think it's pretty clear that he doesn't see us as the enemy. If he can help us win..." He trailed off with a shrug. "I guess he can stay."</p><p>"Toph?"</p><p>“The fact that you have to ask that makes me concerned for your comprehension skills."</p><p>"Okay. Um, Katara?"</p><p>Zuko, too, turned towards Katara, and tried not to look as desperate as he felt. Katara looked at him for several beats, nostrils flared.</p><p>“You know how I feel, but," her face softened as her gaze shifted to the Avatar, "it’s up to you.”</p><p>The Avatar nodded. "I guess that settles it, then." He bowed to Zuko, and his hands formed the shape of a flame against his chest. “I am ready to learn, Sifu Hotman.”</p><p>Zuko returned the bow at a lesser angle. He, too, formed a flame at his chest. “Thank you.” He paused. "What did you just call me?”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>...</strong>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Sokka led him to a room deep within the air temple. The walk was long and awkward, and Zuko was relieved when Sokka finally left him alone to "unpack, get settled in, do whatever it is you need to do."</p><p>Zuko spent a while staring at the entrance to his room, then drew in a breath. When he stepped inside, grit swirled around his boots. It refused to settle as he dropped his rucksack and unfurled his bedroll; instead, it lingered in the air, small, pale specks suspended by rays of fading sunlight.</p><p>There was little to unpack. He hung his dao from a notch in the wall and moved his rucksack to the foot of his bedroll. Then, Zuko stepped over to the window. Vines curled over the sill in prickly loops, and he was careful to avoid trampling the leaves: if anyone other than the Avatar was to reclaim this temple, it was nature.</p><p>The window offered a view of the air temple. The pagodas hung from the cliffside like so many panther-bats, awaiting moonrise.</p><p>Zuko leaned against the window's edge and unsheathed his tantō. Technically, he had no need for it anymore; he'd achieved his goal, but he found himself reluctant to let it go. As he balanced the tantō in his palm, he was once again struck by the cruelty of the Fire Nation's teachings. He wondered how difficult it would be to reverse those teachings. He wondered if it was even possible to reverse those teachings, and if not, what that would mean for a Fire Nation in peacetime.</p><p>War had fueled his nation for several lifetimes. Would peace extinguish his people, a fire starved of air?</p><p>The hair on the back of his neck straightened, and the air sharpened. Zuko whipped around to see Katara leaning against the entrance to his room. She caught his gaze, then slipped past the threshold.</p><p>"I don't like this," she said plainly. She flicked her wrist, and a bead of water formed on the tip of her finger. "I don't like <em>you.</em> You might have everyone else here buying your... transformation, but you and I both know you've struggled with doing the right thing in the past.”</p><p>Katara stepped closer, and Zuko stepped back against the wall. The corners of her mouth tightened.</p><p>“I meant what I said: you will never have a place in this group. You're only here because we're out of options. And if you take one step backwards, one slip-up, give me one reason to think you might hurt Aang, well." She clenched her fist. The bead of water turned to ice. It dropped to the floor, and Katara ground it beneath her heel. "You won't have to worry about being taken prisoner." She looked him in the eye. "Do you understand?”</p><p>Zuko swallowed. "I understand."</p><p>"Good."</p><p>She left without another word, and Zuko sank onto his bedroll, tantō in hand. He watched the crystals of ice melt into the floor, leaving behind nothing but a dark shadow.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you for reading! This ends “part one” of this story, which is by no means close to finishing. We still have the Boiling Rock, and let me tell you... I have *plans.* The angst potential is *muah* the chef’s kiss. A couple things:</p><p>I FINALLY get to talk about Děng Chèng. Děng Chèng is a cultural and economic aspect of the Earth Kingdom. Culturally, it describes the way the lower classes in the Earth Kingdom view the world and how they should treat each other. Economically, it describes the way the upper class has twisted Děng Chèng. The best way to introduce Děng Chèng is to translate the name—it means scale; or, more accurately, it is the name for the traditional three-part chinese steelyard balance. As said by this article I found but can no longer locate, “Traditional steelyard balances have been symbols of fairness, impartiality, equitability with integrity and conscience."</p><p>The idea behind Děng Chèng is that everyone is born with a metaphorical scale. As you move through your life, your scale's balance changes. Each interaction with another person tips your scale and/or theirs, and that is a way of life. Having a perfectly balanced scale is considered to be undesirable, as then a person will do nothing and receive nothing: stagnation is not desirable. There is an emphasis on flow and constant movement: this is true balance. Thus, the view of Děng Chèng among the lower classes is that you should constantly tip scales, and you are forever in a circle of debt and credit. This is the way of life, and it is so ingrained that most people never hear the words “děng chèng.” It's like if everyone lived their lives by the golden rule, but had never heard the words “golden rule.”</p><p>The upper class, however, has perverted Děng Chèng to an economic system that focuses on debt in terms of status and coin. For the upper class, Děng Chèng is a conscious effort to tip the scales in their favor. For example, the phrase Haru said was:</p><p>“Wǒ jiàng xiàng yīng de yídòng fǎmǎ.” (我将相应地移动砝码.)</p><p>Lit. translation: I will move my weight accordingly.</p><p>Cultural translation: I will balance our scale (I will repay my debt in full).</p><p>As in, what it means is that the person who says it is promising to repay the debt. So, culturally, it translates to, I will repay my debt, or I will balance our shared scale, as once again, the word fǎmǎ is used for weight. The characters used for “weight” are 砝码, pronounced “fǎmǎ” and are specifically used to mean weight as related to scales. (Source: Collins dictionary.) This phrase is an upper class phrase because, once again, Děng Chèng is a way of life among the lower classes, not a conscious effort to repay and gain favor. Once again—trying to balance your scale is undesirable. Your actions are never motivated by trying to tip your scales. If you live your life by right or wrong inherently. Your scale reflects your actions, your actions do not reflect your scale. </p><p>Ba Sing Se is the best example for this. The outer rings are full of constantly moving scales, each move unconscious and simply a way of life. As you move inward, the tipping of scales becomes for conscious, and the economy is more debt-based. Finally, among the upper echelons and within the Earth Kingdom court, there’s an intricate system of societal and monetary debt as everyone scrambles to balance their scales and gain favor. A phrase understood by the lower clases is that trying to balance your scales with intent makes one exhausted. I have a lot more to say about Děng Chèng but…. Yeah.</p><p>tl;dr: Děng Chèng is the name for a collective philosophy within the earth kingdom, and it differs among the lower and upper classes.</p><p>As for Water Tribe things, I am actually editing some of these things out of this chapter, so please stand by. </p><p>I listened to a *lot* of music while writing this chapter. Obviously, there’s the Bastille album “Bad Blood.” And there’s also this *really* cool album called “Floor Fruits” on Spotify. Rules 2 is my absolute favorite song on there. Give it a listen!</p><p>Thank you so much for reading. Please comment!</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you for reading! This is my first Avatar fic, so I'd love to hear people's thoughts and reactions. Please drop a comment--comments really do mean a lot to authors. Other things y'all may want to be aware of:</p><p>-- This is not a Katara-bashing fic. Her development will be explored; she is crucial to this story and will be treated as such. Also, I love her.</p><p>-- I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.</p><p>-- BLM. Do not give up. Sign petitions, donate if you can, attend protests if you can, and stay education/informed. Portland is in my thoughts.</p><p>-- Hi! Yes! The character design of Combustion Man is incredibly exploitative and offensive. It is up to me as a writer for this fandom to acknowledge this and listen to the people who have pointed this out. This fic is in a revising stage to address this.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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